PokerFraudAlert Forums - Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/
Information and discussion about fraud, scams, lies, and scandals within the poker community. Feel free to call out individuals and companies that have cheated you.enSat, 06 Jun 2020 18:15:57 GMTvBulletin3https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/images/misc/rss.pngPokerFraudAlert Forums - Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/
New Revelations Regarding Jonathan Duhamel Rape Accusationshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20561-New-Revelations-Regarding-Jonathan-Duhamel-Rape-Accusations&goto=newpost
Sat, 06 Jun 2020 18:15:57 GMTNot sure if this has been posted in the forums yet. I did a quick search and could not find it. Full article here from June 3rd 2020.
https://www.vip-grinders.com/new-revelations-jonathan-duhamel-rape-accusations/?fbclid=IwAR341SVBS3qJK4xCm62scXAlkfodUDQxzlLouC_rvG1nY290pkfi7b0YBn8Not sure if this has been posted in the forums yet. I did a quick search and could not find it. Full article here from June 3rd 2020.

https://www.vip-grinders.com/new-rev...290pkfi7b0YBn8
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessMatt The Rathttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20561-New-Revelations-Regarding-Jonathan-Duhamel-Rape-AccusationsVirtue Poker owes a bunch of it’s beta testershttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20546-Virtue-Poker-owes-a-bunch-of-it’s-beta-testers&goto=newpost
Wed, 03 Jun 2020 23:59:26 GMTThey have been jerking a bunch of people around, making them wait several months to then have to complete KYC (why?) and some have never received a KYC request and get no responses from support (including my elderly mother who I warned not to play but she misses gambling). Lots of people put in a lot of time as beta testers and say they have not been paid. Class action maybe? Can anyone suggest an attorney? I feel especially bad for the investors who keep getting the runaround as well about when certain things will roll out. Somehow they have Ivey and Rast as pros. Software is total crap. You can win a hand and then it is suddenly cancelled. Totally not ready, this platform will be a complete failure.
Any ideas? Pretty scummy to not pay people that honestly provided you with a service.They have been jerking a bunch of people around, making them wait several months to then have to complete KYC (why?) and some have never received a KYC request and get no responses from support (including my elderly mother who I warned not to play but she misses gambling). Lots of people put in a lot of time as beta testers and say they have not been paid. Class action maybe? Can anyone suggest an attorney? I feel especially bad for the investors who keep getting the runaround as well about when certain things will roll out. Somehow they have Ivey and Rast as pros. Software is total crap. You can win a hand and then it is suddenly cancelled. Totally not ready, this platform will be a complete failure.

Any ideas? Pretty scummy to not pay people that honestly provided you with a service.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessCryptoNinjahttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20546-Virtue-Poker-owes-a-bunch-of-it’s-beta-testersI Guess Just a CLICHE or A BUG or MONEY LAUNDERING!!!! WTF ACRhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20516-I-Guess-Just-a-CLICHE-or-A-BUG-or-MONEY-LAUNDERING!!!!-WTF-ACR&goto=newpost
Fri, 29 May 2020 02:10:45 GMTTHe issues here are many. However, taking the money back is not one of them. During cash game play when you cashed out you received extra, this happened to me all day when I was playing, over 12 hours. I assumed it was some sort of bonus for playing in the new BOMB tables they are offering. However, last night they had a crash from 11ish EST thru 8am EST. Today, they deducted the money from my account which is justified per their email below. However, WTF kind of bug is that!
I have the spread sheet they sent, over 288 pages worth and listed below is the letter the emailed. IDK, can this be some sort of money laundering or cash dumping, or just a bug or cliche or algorithm that went crazy.

Dear Valued Customer,

On May 27th, a software issue occurred after an update that mistakenly affected player balances. Some players were incorrectly credited additional funds.

Debits have been made to rectify the situation.

Your account was among those that were impacted. Your balance was incorrectly credited an additional (blank) during your play on May 27th.

Below you will find a link that directs you to a Player Transaction Report PDF where you can access your game and transaction history.

CLICK HERE

In the interest of anonymity, all affected players have been given a Player Number. Please see the corresponding data next to your player number within the PDF.

Your Player Number is: 1800 DOPEY

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for being a valued player.

*Refund Field: The refund field corresponds to a table top-up amount that was unable to be brought to the table because it would have taken you over the table maximum. This amount is left in limbo until you close the table and then is automatically refunded by the system. Unfortunately this refund is not displayed in your player reporting in the client. We're fixing that in the near future. If you wish to receive a spreadsheet with your running balance in which you can see that refund, you can contact customer service for that information.

Sincerely,

The Team at Americas Cardroom
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessProverbs13.3https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20516-I-Guess-Just-a-CLICHE-or-A-BUG-or-MONEY-LAUNDERING!!!!-WTF-ACRDan Fleyshman claims that Colossus winner Cord Garcia was ripped off of $600k by Filippos Liakounakoshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20499-Dan-Fleyshman-claims-that-Colossus-winner-Cord-Garcia-was-ripped-off-of-600k-by-Filippos-Liakounakos&goto=newpost
Mon, 25 May 2020 09:07:10 GMT

Fillipos was described by Ryan Feldman as "the tall young Greek kid who plays PLO".

Cord Garcia is best known for his 1st place finish in the massive-field WSOP Colossus event in 2015, for $638k. I met him in 2018 at a $1500 NL event, and he was nice/friendly. Liked the kid.

Anyway, this came out because Fleyshman decided to use the visibility of the Perkins drama to create some of his own for Fillipos. Not sure if the claim is true, and Fleyshman has been known to stretch the truth, but my gut feeling is that this is true or mostly true.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20499-Dan-Fleyshman-claims-that-Colossus-winner-Cord-Garcia-was-ripped-off-of-600k-by-Filippos-LiakounakosFull Tilt Payment Processor Jeremy Johnson is OUT OF PRISON!https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20496-Full-Tilt-Payment-Processor-Jeremy-Johnson-is-OUT-OF-PRISON!&goto=newpost
Sun, 24 May 2020 18:48:14 GMTJeremy Johnson, owner/investor in Sunfirst bank that processed Full Tilt payments, is now FREE thanks to COVID 19. Jeremy had 2 years left on his prison sentence but took a jet home to St. George Utah where he posted on Facebook page about his return to freedom. He received over 400 Facebook messages of gushing praise from locals talking about how glad they are he is finally back home. Wannabe SJW DMOONGIRL, whom he apparently backed early on, was also quick to jump on the Johnson bandwagon and welcome him back home and left her own gushy message. Maybe she is looking to get a nice backing deal from Ginette22.
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2020/05/22/mgk-st-george-businessman-jeremy-johnson-returns-home-after-prison-stint/#.Xsq8gxNKjcI
I have never understood why so many in the sleepy mormon retirement town of St. George are enamored with the guy and praise him like he is some kind of hero. He is nothing more than a long time fraud. He got caught at 25 of pumping penny stocks which got him in hot water with the SEC. https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr16920.htm He then moved on to becoming a boiler room guru with his IWorks boiler rooms and running one negative option campaign after another. Business plans, grant plans, online shopping malls, you name it he did it. Payment processing for Full Tilt might have been the closest thing to a legitimate service he has ever done.
So what future awaits him? He seems to still have access to some fairly decent amount of wealth. Is he going to go back into some boiler room, will he start a Baccarat System to sell and an accompanying Youtube channel?Jeremy Johnson, owner/investor in Sunfirst bank that processed Full Tilt payments, is now FREE thanks to COVID 19. Jeremy had 2 years left on his prison sentence but took a jet home to St. George Utah where he posted on Facebook page about his return to freedom. He received over 400 Facebook messages of gushing praise from locals talking about how glad they are he is finally back home. Wannabe SJW DMOONGIRL, whom he apparently backed early on, was also quick to jump on the Johnson bandwagon and welcome him back home and left her own gushy message. Maybe she is looking to get a nice backing deal from Ginette22.

I have never understood why so many in the sleepy mormon retirement town of St. George are enamored with the guy and praise him like he is some kind of hero. He is nothing more than a long time fraud. He got caught at 25 of pumping penny stocks which got him in hot water with the SEC. https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr16920.htm He then moved on to becoming a boiler room guru with his IWorks boiler rooms and running one negative option campaign after another. Business plans, grant plans, online shopping malls, you name it he did it. Payment processing for Full Tilt might have been the closest thing to a legitimate service he has ever done.

So what future awaits him? He seems to still have access to some fairly decent amount of wealth. Is he going to go back into some boiler room, will he start a Baccarat System to sell and an accompanying Youtube channel?

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessRockasillyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20496-Full-Tilt-Payment-Processor-Jeremy-Johnson-is-OUT-OF-PRISON!Bill Perkins claims that several famous poker pros have been cheating, says this scandal will make Postle scandal seem small by comparisonhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20492-Bill-Perkins-claims-that-several-famous-poker-pros-have-been-cheating-says-this-scandal-will-make-Postle-scandal-seem-small-by-comparison&goto=newpost
Sun, 24 May 2020 02:40:34 GMTPossible huge story coming down the pike
https://twitter.com/bp22/status/1264372980718678016?s=21
Tweeted offer for him to call radio.Possible huge story coming down the pike

Tweeted offer for him to call radio.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20492-Bill-Perkins-claims-that-several-famous-poker-pros-have-been-cheating-says-this-scandal-will-make-Postle-scandal-seem-small-by-comparisonJeff Gross and VPNhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20453-Jeff-Gross-and-VPN&goto=newpost
Mon, 18 May 2020 18:08:43 GMTHey, I was listening to last weeks podcast and I was very interested in the discussion regarding VPNS and Jeff Gross ALLEGED use.
So, I wanted to perform my own experiment with a VPN from Connecticut and attempt it with the Legal Regulated Poker sites that are in Nevada, NJ, and PA.
I felt my odds were slim but I was bored for obvious reasons. So, the beginning of last week I researched the best products and advise I could find on line and made my attempt last Friday. Obviously, I was denied by WSOP NV, WSOP NJ, and PSTARS NJ with no penalties from the sites. Most likely, I did not do enough homework on this subject or mostly likely misunderstood the podcast discussion regarding Jeff Gross.
Thoughts on everything listed above greatly appreciated.
Thanks.Hey, I was listening to last weeks podcast and I was very interested in the discussion regarding VPNS and Jeff Gross ALLEGED use.
So, I wanted to perform my own experiment with a VPN from Connecticut and attempt it with the Legal Regulated Poker sites that are in Nevada, NJ, and PA.
I felt my odds were slim but I was bored for obvious reasons. So, the beginning of last week I researched the best products and advise I could find on line and made my attempt last Friday. Obviously, I was denied by WSOP NV, WSOP NJ, and PSTARS NJ with no penalties from the sites. Most likely, I did not do enough homework on this subject or mostly likely misunderstood the podcast discussion regarding Jeff Gross.

I have been a long time player on Bovada for years and years. Recently, my wife wanted to start playing poker as well due to being stuck at home from the Covid-19 lockdown, so I decided to send her my referral code to sign up so I could get a bonus when she signs up and deposits. So she signed up and deposited $50 from her credit card and I got $100 referral bonus. I also sent her a voucher for $3000 and $143 which I was going to cash out but decided to just keep it in her account so she could have a bankroll and incase I needed to redeposit, she could just send me a voucher back. I only left $100 in my account which was from the bonus and wanted to build it up from that as a side challenge. My wife won some money in poker and betting on esports and her account went to $4,698 after about a month, most if not all her winnings were from winning esports bets and she was pretty much breakeven at Zone Poker 25NL. She wanted to cashout earlier around $4,000 but Bovada said she had to play through the whole voucher deposit of $3,000 to be able to cash out, so she played through it in poker and esports bets. So after the playthrough, she wanted to cash out the $4,698 via Bitcoin and after almost 48 hours of review, they cancelled the cashout and said the account was under investigation. 24 hours later, they called her and said her account was being disabled and all the funds in it would be seized because we broke the Terms of Service of having 2 accounts in the same household as well as abusing the referral bonus. They said they would return the $50 dollar deposit she made through her credit card though. My account was also shut down which I had $200 in that I was building up. I didn't read the Terms of Service before referring my wife and it does indeed say:

3.2 Single Account Access. You are permitted to open only one (1) Account. Only one account is allowed per household. Multiple accounts held by the same individual are subject to immediate closure and we reserve the right to seize any funds gained as a result of holding multiple accounts. Furthermore you shall not permit another person to access the Website or Software via your account without the express permission of Bovada.

I got no warning or anything, they just seized the funds and closed our accounts with all the money in them seized. I cannot even contact them via telephone because due to Covid-19 they turned their phone support off. Their chat reps just say their decision is final and they will not return any of the funds in the account except for the $50 my wife deposited from her credit card. In the email they sent me this is what rules they said I broke:

I was only guilty of referring my wife who lives in the same household and I guess abusing the bonus program since I received a $100 bonus for referring her, but I honestly didn't know that was against TOS and I admit I was clearly in violation of that. So they seized the $4,698 in my wife's account and the $200 in my account. Does anyone have any advice? Any advice/input would greatly be appreciated, and again, I know I made a mistake and broke the Terms of Service but does that warrant all our funds being seized? Thank you.

This 2+2 community (the Internet Poker forum there, which tends to be a smarter subset of posters on the site) wasn't impressed. They saw right through this BS before I even found the thread.

Here was my response to him:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Druff

As many of you know, I run a site which focuses on frauds and scams in poker, and I'm always the first to back someone up who has been mistreated by a poker site.

I've also publicly complained about Bovada many times on 2+2 and my own site, so I'm not cheerleader of theirs.

With that said, it's 100% obvious that this guy thought he was clever, pulled shenanigans, got caught, and now is crying foul because the punishment (complete confiscation of bankroll on the site) is far more harsh than he figured it could be.

Your wife didn't play. It was obvious from the first post, and it's even more obvious now. You took over the account, hence the reason you transferred all of the money except for $100 to "her" account.

You didn't leave $100 in your account as a "side challenge" to run it up again. It's insulting our intelligence to say that. In reality, you left exactly $100 because that was the amount of the referral bonus, and thus that amount was stuck until it was cleared. So you moved all of the play over to "her" account, and you were playing on your old account just enough to clear the bonus, cash that out, and be done with it.

Then Bovada caught you, called you up, and you lied about the situation. That led to angering them further and believing you were a scammer, so they confiscated your roll.

I admit that their actions were harsh, but that's the breaks when you try to pull tricks on an online poker site -- especially one which basically makes its own rules and answers to nobody.

Why are they so hard line about this? I can answer that.

In previous years, Bovada has been victimized numerous times by bonus whore hustlers. This became easy to pull off, thanks to bitcoin as a new deposit method. The hustle worked like this:

1) Create new account with clean IP address
2) Fund with bitcoin for something like $1000, get initial deposit bonus
3) Clear the bonus via an aggressive, high-bet strategy which fails most of the time but occasionally clears the bonus with a high bankroll (5 figures)
4) If it fails to clear, dump the non-bonus chips to a friend in poker, and trash account
5) If bonus is cleared, cash out, profit 5 figures
6) Rinse and repeat

In case you're wondering, I never did this, though I was aware of it going on at the time.

Some guys made hundreds of thousands of $ doing this before Bovada caught on. Nowadays, Bovada is aggressively watching for this, so the above no longer works.

Hence, starting a new account, transferring money to it, and resuming play as if it's you (while attempting to clear the referral bonus on the original account) looks really bad to them, and reminds them of the above scheme (even though it's different, because presumably you didn't try to clear the $100 in an aggressive, high-bet fashion, or you wouldn't have had $200 in it when it got shut down.)

You basically F'd yourself when you lied to them on the phone. They aren't going to believe that your "wife" suddenly wanted to play the exact same limits and style you do, while at the same time you lost the desire to play other than to clear the bonus in your account. You should have just come clean once they caught you, perhaps cleaning up the story a bit so you don't look like you were just outright trying to jack $100 from them. Then you should have begged for them to let you continue playing, promising to never do it again. Since it's just a matter of $100, they might have allowed it.

Now you're screwed, and coming on 2+2 and lying about it just made matters worse.

Next time you want our help here, please don't insult our collective intelligence by telling us nonsense "wife" stories, and then acting outraged when we don't believe you.

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20363-Don-t-be-this-guy!-Bovada-player-attempts-dumb-scheme-to-get-100-referral-bonus-for-duplicate-account-loses-over-4600-because-of-itMost Blatant YouTube Scammer Christopher Mitchell “Professional Gambler”https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20297-Most-Blatant-YouTube-Scammer-Christopher-Mitchell-“Professional-Gambler”&goto=newpost
Wed, 15 Apr 2020 02:33:34 GMTThis is my first post so please don’t jump all over me if I fuck it up. I’ve been stuck in Long Island, NY & I’m 38/Diabetic so thanks Druff for all the radio content. I’ve probably been listening for a solid 3 plus months at this point. Been trying to leave the house as little as possible. Just had to use 2 K from the bankroll on an elliptical machine I will prob use for the remainder of this quarantine & then never again. All so I don’t get out of this looking like Jabba the Hut.

While I was going through the YouTube rabbit hole one day I found this YT channel named “Change Your Life Vlog” with videos posted by “pro Gambler” Christoper Mitchell. Of course I already knew it’s a scam & I know this isn’t about poker but still thought bringing it to light can maybe save some suckers some money.

You all can check it out and will be amazed how transparent & what a shitty con man this joker is & I have no idea how YT hasn’t shut his ass down. He starts most videos holding a big stack of prop 100s with just a real one or two in the front. At first he was offering to personally coach people who come to Vegas his revolutionary “Martingale” (Yes he uses the word Martingale) way to make money playing Baccarat for $2,500. Then the videos became him asking for $1500 once the casinos in Vegas (he seems to be renting a condo in a Vegas) were closed. The caveat was this money had to be received by April 1.

Now in this latest video he has now decided to offer a total free roll for the sucker. He talks a lot of gibberish on these videos but around the 4:00 mark on this latest video he compares himself to the personal injury lawyers who doesn’t make money if you don’t make money. The great deal is he will go play baccarat with you at no charge and he will only take 50% of your winnings.

There’s videos made by apparently someone named Kevin Davis who was the guy who tried to expose Michael Morgenstern. For those who don’t know Morgenstern was the scammer behind Blackjack Army, but Morgenstern actually had some charisma & con man skills. Christopher Mitchell has no skill & again I don’t know how YT has him on the platform. BTW Kevin Davis alleges that Mitchell did gay porn years ago but I decided not to look for that. Anyways enjoy the shitty show this guy puts on.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessJeffDimehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20297-Most-Blatant-YouTube-Scammer-Christopher-Mitchell-“Professional-Gambler”Poker Heat online apphttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20280-Poker-Heat-online-app&goto=newpost
Fri, 10 Apr 2020 13:14:55 GMTNew to the forum, life long poker player (I'm 55 years old), have a weekly game with some old friends that we've had going on for probably 20 years or more! About 3 or 4 years ago, after FINALLY breaking down and getting a I-Phone, I started playing online Poker, first WSOP and then Poker Heat. I found that WSOP was a losing proposition, no matter how well I played, I would always end up busting out and having to buy more chips. I probably played for about a year and then gave up, and found Poker Heat on Facebook and started playing there. The game play on Poker Heat and the graphics are best I have seen online, but there's a catch. There is NO FRIGGIN WAY their random number generators are legit. The incredible bad beats are just mind boggling! The things you have seen maybe 3 times in your entire life (quads being beat by a higher set of quads), are REGULAR happenings there. I know MANY long term players, and the longer you play, the longer you can go without busting out, but NOBODY has been able to win long term and keep their bankrolls intact. You are inevitably put in situations where you are in hands that you simply CANNOT fold, and then on the river, that one magic card to beat you comes up more often than not. It would be funny if not so tragic, I know people who have lost multiple THOUSANDS of dollars on this application, always thinking they can "beat the system", but inevitably, they always bust out and are gilded into buying more chips. The other horrible thing about this application is the number of robot players! They used to deny they existed, but in November of last year, they added a disclaimer to their front page admitting their existence! LMAO! Like we all didn't already know! What really strikes me as odd is that there is a website called "pissedconsumer" that has multiple posts about this fraudulent application, but not one mention of it here? Has Playtika got an injunction to stop this site from mentioning their crooked ways? This is just one excerpt from that consumer site, there are plenty more, and I couldn't agree with this guy any more. His description of their antics are 100% accurate, and having been playing there for over 3 years and being at one of their highest levels, I believe I have the experience to back it up. I just wanted to get some opinions from others here on this page. This is directly from pissed consumer website: https://playtika.pissedconsumer.com/...231406667.html

Poker Heat is the worst cheating poker application in history, followed very closely by WSOP! Oh, and they are BOTH owned by Playtika?

Coincidence? I think not. These criminals need to be prosecuted because the money they are stealing from players is in the MILLIONS of dollars! I know people who have wasted tens of thousands of dollars on this application, I am still playing but I quit paying a long time ago and now only play with free chips on the lower tables.

Why? Because it is rigged, plain and simple. All you have to do is play a few weeks and you will see the insanity of their cheating patterns! Their "random number generator" is anything but random, and the incredible bad beats happen constantly.

I have played poker in real life, in many venues, including casinos, and in 40 years of playing, I've seen a set of quads get beat by a higher set of quads maybe 3 times. On Poker Heat, I saw it TWICE IN ONE DAY and that is the honest to God's truth! Then, how many times do you see the same 3 cards on the flop in real life? Not very often, but on Poker Heat, it happens multiple times a day!

Why? Because when you have three of the same cards on the flop, and then you have two, three or four people in the same hand with a pocket pair, what do you have? MAX CARNAGE! Everyone goes all in and 4 out of the 5 people lose everything!

It's all rigged, it's all a scam and these sons of biatches need to get sued and put out of business! Here's the other funny thing, as soon as you buy a chip package, your luck MAGICALLY changes, but only for a short time. You'll win a few big hands, but eventually, you will start getting the bad beats like everyone else, UNTIL you buy chips again. It is so blatantly obvious it's not even funny.

Then they have these "representatives" that are assigned to the "VIPS", or people who have spent tons of money, and you can complain to them and they will lie and deflect as they are trained to do, and throw you little bones now and then (free chips), but they also have the power to TURN OFF the "BAD LUCK" on your account, but only long enough for you to win some of your money back, but inevitably, you will go back to losing like everyone else, because you will be put into a position with big hands that you simply cannot fold, but then somebody ALWAYS kills you on the river! Then there are the ROBOTS all over the place, more pervasive on the higher stakes tables, but they are easy to spot because of the way they bet, and the amounts they bet, but almost impossible to beat. They will go all in with nothing and catch that magic river card more often than not, and steal all of your chips, it's so blatantly obvious the cheating that goes on, frankly, I'm shocked they've gotten away with it this long! There needs to be a class action lawsuit against this organized criminal activity because it CANNOT be legal.

Any 3rd party "audit" of their "random number generator" would find out in 2 seconds how NOT RANDOM it really is, and how it's all designed to produce bad beats and trick people into spending more money. Some day, I am hoping a class action suit will be filed so a lot of us long term players, who have spent THOUSANDS of dollars, can get some of our money back. Oh, and the ridiculous rake? 25% on a site that pays out nothing?

Another joke! Trust me, I am not just a disgruntled player, I've been on Poker Heat for 3 years and quit paying for chips about a year ago and don't play on the higher stakes tables any more, but I know some people that still do, because the game play really is the best out there, but I'm not going to have some company screw me day in and day out and steal my hard earned money.

It's time for VIP's on Poker Heat to take a stand, I'm actually thinking about contacting one of the richer "famous" poker players to see if they could help us finance this lawsuit.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessBlueGrassTornadohttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20280-Poker-Heat-online-apphttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20265-Dude-plays-like-a-lady-Winner-of-30k-Women-s-Platinum-Pass-on-Pokerstars-was-actually-male&goto=newpost
Mon, 06 Apr 2020 01:28:11 GMTIn recent years, Pokerstars has been giving away something called a "Platinum Pass" as part of different promos, which includes a seat to a $25k-buyin live tournament, along with $5000 worth of hotel/flight/expense benefits for the trip.

They have an event planned for August 2020 in Barcelona, which may or may not take place, given the coronavirus situation.

On March 8, they held a special women's only tournament to win the Platinum Pass:

Quote:

Don’t forget, women also have another chance to win a Platinum Pass at PokerStars on International Women’s Day this Sunday (March 8) in the Women’s Sunday tournament.

The event will award a Pass to the highest-placing female, with two €1,050 PSPC direct qualifier tickets going to the second- and third-placed females.

To celebrate 25 years of International Women’s Day, and to ensure more players can take part in this weekend’s celebration, the buy-in has been cut by more than half to $22, and features one rebuy. Players must be female to play in the tournament and have their gender assigned as female in the “Settings” tab. Females who would like to assign their gender can contact PokerStars Support.

The tournament was won by someone named "ameliaroy007", a regular winner on the site. Second place was a female Pokerstars Pro, who was already getting a Platinum Pass. Third was a female recreational player named Senja.

Senja recently posted this on Instagram:

Quote:

I played $ 22 women’s tournament on international women’s day on PokerStars.

There was $ 30 000 Platinum pass added to the prize pool for the winner. It includes $ 25 000 buy-in to live tournament, flights, hotel, events and some money to cover expenses. After many hours of playing I end up to be 3rd out of around 500 buy-ins. I was very proud of this, even though Tapio was mostly just annoyed that I didn’t win.

Well, last Saturday I got some news. The winner was disqualified, since she turned out to be he. The second one was PokerStars pro-player, and she already had a Platinum Pass. So, the next one was me. Now I have $ 30 000 live tournament package. Next August I’ll be playing poker with professionals in Barcelona (if the corona doesn’t postpone the event).

My experience with poker is minimal, under 10 tournaments and just few hours of cash games online, but not at all live games. All of my gaming counted together might be around 100 euros. Well, now I know what I’m studying these next 5 months. I still can't believe this, and I'm scared like crazy.. let's start hunting the 6 million with thousand other players. #pspc #pokerstars #unbelievable @pokerstars

It's not clear how Stars investigated, but they ended up determining that, yes, ameliaroy007 was male. Supposedly people complained because ameliaroy007 was a regular, yet wasn't a known female pro player, so people got suspicious. Indeed, it looks like either "amelia" switched his gender to female for the event, or was always listed as female.

However, for some reason they did not ban this account for what he did, and instead just confiscated the $30k Platinum Pass. It also appears that he was allowed to keep the prize money, as Senja only got the $30k Platinum Pass, but did NOT appear to have been moved up to second place prize money, as would be expected if ameilaroy007 were disqualified.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20265-Dude-plays-like-a-lady-Winner-of-30k-Women-s-Platinum-Pass-on-Pokerstars-was-actually-maleCaesars heavily fined in UKhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20255-Caesars-heavily-fined-in-UK&goto=newpost
Thu, 02 Apr 2020 20:03:14 GMThttps://amp.theguardian.com/society/...ned-record-13m

A casino company has been fined a record £13m by the Gambling Commission for failures relating to VIP schemes that the regulator is considering banning.

Three senior managers at Caesars Entertainment, which has 11 casinos in UK cities and seaside towns, will also lose their licence to run a gambling business.

The sanction marks the second time in less than three weeks that the regulator has handed out a record penalty, after Betway was forced to pay out £11.6m in March.

The tougher stance comes as the commission is under pressure, accused of being too weak after a damning report that said it was being outmuscled by the gambling industry and incapable of ensuring vulnerable people were protected.

The regulator found that Caesars was guilty of a series of serious systematic failings in its treatment of VIPs, who are typically offered perks to inspire loyalty because they bet and lose large sums. The failures included allowing a customer to lose £323,000 in a year, despite clear signs of gambling addiction such as playing for five hours on more than 30 occasions.

Another customer who was known to have signed up to “self-exclude” from gambling was allowed to start playing again, losing £240,000 over a 13-month period. Another person, a self-employed nanny, told Caesars she had spent her savings and was borrowing from family and using her overdraft to gamble but the company still allowed her to lose £18,000 in a year.

A retired postman also lost £15,000 in 44 days without being properly asked for information about the source of his funds.

Caesars was also guilty of failing in its efforts to prevent money laundering, failing to check on the source of funds of someone who wagered £3.5m in three months, or a politically exposed person (PEP) who lost £795,000 in just over a year. In money-laundering rules, a PEP is someone who is at higher risk of being involved in bribery and corruption by virtue of their position.

The Gambling Commission chief executive, Neil McArthur, said the incidents were extremely serious. “In recent times the online sector has received the greatest scrutiny around VIP practices but VIP practices are found right across the industry and our tough approach to compliance and enforcement will continue, whether a business is on the high street or online.”

Caesars Entertainment UK said it “acknowledges falling short of its standards and accepts the settlement reached with the British Gambling Commission]”.

“Since discovering, immediately addressing, and reporting deficiencies in 2018, we have enhanced our compliance policies and procedures and are complying with the license conditions and commission’s guidance for best practice. We are confident of the efficacy of our compliance initiatives going forward.”

The regulator is already reviewing VIP schemes via a working group led by the Ladbrokes owner, GVC, itself the subject of criticism over cases involving customers being rewarded for losing large amounts of money.

The group’s suggestions so far include limiting VIP status to over-25s and performing stricter checks on someone’s financial status before offering them perks.

Alex Macey, of the Gamvisory campaign group, said: “All the destructive and damning evidence I have seen from high-yield VIP disorder gamblers, suggests the routes of the problems are very much with the over-25s. This decision reaffirms our suspicions from the off that the involvement of GVC in this process has tainted the outcome. The Gambling Commission has lost all trust and needs overhauling.”
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessKazoeyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20255-Caesars-heavily-fined-in-UKNEW Location?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20136-NEW-Location&goto=newpost
Sat, 07 Mar 2020 08:01:25 GMT for you AL>..just cause..you my Best Table Cap--uhh, ADMIRAL I have ever had or seen in 52 yrs of Gambling... This 100% sincere.,NY Mk. Gd Lk.Get a Bracelet,I kNow you will Play yr best always.:beggar:beggar:solidgold:hof:shock]]>I cannot tell you who.. but i shall say what my deep mole told me, alas the CARDGAME at THIS RATE,...
Currently is being LOOKED at LOGISTICALLY, VERYveryclosely...

You must not discount how much thought,time $ and effort goes into the card gameXXXXX.. 366 days a year Gig .. in 7 weeks they get at least 30 Players who blow off mid 6 figures in the Pit/book. Word.. Beware ... XXXXXXXX old and had Legionaires(sp) before..

Conventions cancelling rapidly.Rooms for card game canxd a few.New hall clean as a Bean in a washing machine...
Once LV airport begins testing/screening they will be better informed..

My Longest Post ever in 9 yrs on FB> for you AL>..just cause..you my Best Table Cap--uhh, ADMIRAL I have ever had or seen in 52 yrs of Gambling... This 100% sincere.,NY Mk. Gd Lk.Get a Bracelet,I kNow you will Play yr best always.:beggar:beggar:solidgold:hof:shock
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessshoeshine boxhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20136-NEW-Locationhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20111-Jake-Paul-s-Financial-Freedom-Movement-Scam&goto=newpost
Sat, 29 Feb 2020 08:21:16 GMTDan Fleyshman is involved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGQ41L6lFBMDan Fleyshman is involved.

He is listed as being from The Netherlands. The tweet from 2019 claims he's a "well known pro". Any guesses?

Here's the list of the biggest live tournament cashers from The Netherlands: https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/ranking/208/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20109-2018-WCOOP-winner-quot-wann2play-quot-on-Pokerstars-disqualified-18-months-later-but-who-is-itUK betting company MoPlay is insolvent and nobody is getting paidhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20089-UK-betting-company-MoPlay-is-insolvent-and-nobody-is-getting-paid&goto=newpost
Sun, 23 Feb 2020 12:12:20 GMTWhile I'm a big believer in the need for licensing and regulation of gambling entities, the regulation has to be done correctly.

Specifically, there needs to be teeth to the regulations (meaning civil/criminal consequences for violating them), and there needs to be oversight regarding matters of money. For example, these sites should all be required to store player funds in a separate account which can constantly be monitored by regulators.

MoPlay, regulated by the UK, is insolvent. They lost their license, and now they are admitting that nobody will get paid, as they're insolvent. It is outrageous that such a thing could happen to a regulated site in a first-world country.

Please note that MoPlay cannot take any further bets or accept any other gambling activity. If customers have any queries please contact our Solutions team via email support@moplay.com

MoPlay featured both sportsbetting and casino games. I don't believe it had a poker room.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20089-UK-betting-company-MoPlay-is-insolvent-and-nobody-is-getting-paidPeppermill Casinos Drawings rigged in Wendover Nevada?????https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20088-Peppermill-Casinos-Drawings-rigged-in-Wendover-Nevada&goto=newpost
Sun, 23 Feb 2020 05:04:45 GMTSo me and the wife are in Wendover this weekend for the Rainbow Casino 25th Anniversary Celebration. There are 3 casinos in Wendover under the Peppermill umbrella and they share the same loyalty card.
So far this weekend they have had 5 drawings where 5 or 6 cardholders are "randomly" chosen by the computer to receive $500 freeplay and 1 or 2 more are drawn for $1000 cash. This is for each drawing. There 3 more scheduled for tomorrow in addition to the grand prize drawing of a car. We noticed that one name was drawn at least 4 times (and possibly all 5 times). Another name was drawn at least twice that we noticed but chalked that up to random coincidence. I mentioned this to one of the slot hosts and she said it wasn't unusual but that she would discuss with higher ups. Does anyone else find this to seem "not random at all".
I mean what are the odds this would happen that many times in a row when we are talking thousands of player accounts.

Druff a phone call about this to Peppermill Management would be quite entertaining. Would like to hear their explanation. I can provide name of a person in management in Wendover if you care to dig into this. I also have the name of the luckiest woman I have ever heard of but would serve no purpose posting here.

The thought that our home casino is possibly rigging contests is pissing us off and it's nice to have this forum to vent. We are conflicted over whether we should take any further action or just let it go.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessIamGreekhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20088-Peppermill-Casinos-Drawings-rigged-in-Wendover-NevadaA history of darknesshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20078-A-history-of-darkness&goto=newpost
Fri, 21 Feb 2020 02:32:21 GMTFirst, a little about myself. My name is James Harrison from Ontario, Canada. https://twitter.com/James36365569 I wake up every day and MTT it up. Right now im back at the most micro of micro stakes. Im only a winner and not a loser. But it does suck to not be able to advance and be at the bottom right now, but hey.

I guess, my first suspicions of online poker being rigged came when i was playing on Party, Full Tilt and Ultimatebet, back in the day (early 2000s BEFORE THE POKER BOOM). Just the same way other people suspected it, but i was really young and really dumb at the time so i just kept playing kind of like today but i complain now. I was really young and dumb and looking back i did suspect "is this a robot" like in chess. Or, why the heck do i keep getting moved in the the Big Blind 3 times in a row near the money bubble all-the-time.(you all remember ) Im not going to lie, i never suspected a superuser. But you have to tell me right now. Playing 20 years ago against a bot that would seem like your worst nightmare, it was and it is and we see now that our suspicions were correct, very much so. I will not talk about the other thing that guys like Michael Josem helped to detect and shut down, but we all know about UB.

The second thing that solidified this for me was a site called PokerStars. Because when i started playing here i really started learning Not the way they intended however. I was in something called the Pokerschool Online. They had instruction and freerolls. Well i met someone there and i started hearing more stories about 5 6's being dealt on another well known room (yes i believe her to this day).

And most importantly something that this company should be eternally punished for. They had chat moderators. I dont think they officially worked for the company. But i heard they were paid in tickets and in points. They had these guys OR quite possibly these guys used to come to the table and abuse me on their own volition while i was playing in poker tournaments telling me how i sucked and needed to get better and I QUOTE how they "choose to do the bidding of lucifer" I swear on my life all of this is truth. I saw it with my own eyes this time, first hand and i was shocked.

So I can no longer play on PokerStars, we now know i can no longer play on 888 because they were "protecting" me because i said i was emotional not because of poker, but because of death threats ive experienced on their tables. Something that people just dont understand. If 888 really did ban me because i said i was upset at the death threats. Just leave it at that. I WAS and AM upset at the DEATH THREATS, not at playing poker...

So instead of having me wake up every day grinding tournaments what do you think im going to do ?

Im going to devote my life to destroying poker. Using Tor browser i will be on forums all over the place and i will win because it is my destiny to have success at one of these and nobody will be able to stop me.

I have more stories, they are all true, i swear on my life.

-You can lie and say pokerstars never abused me and came to my tables while playing in their poker tournaments, telling me that "i sucked" at the tables and that they never told me that they "choose to do the bidding of lucifer" (which ****ed me up for a long while btw).

- You can say that woman was lying to me and she never saw 5 6s being dealt and i have no way to prove this. The site did acknowledge it in an email to her and explained it was new software migration I saw the email.

- You can say Josem is a hero and nobody will ever super use again (and you might even be right)

-You can say that im lying and i never suspected bots 15-20 years ago. Been proven to be massively true on the site that i played on with hundreds of bots being acknowledged and removed every month.

- You can say 888 is right for banning me and allowing passmg2 to play even though he threatened me.

- You can say i was never moved into the big blind numerous times in a row after playing hours in tournaments. And when i emailed the site they said. Get this the "blinds in poker are random".

I have more stories, they are all true. I have copied and pasted this to wordpad for the purpose of spreading this to poker forums all over and because i will probably get banned for this innocent but truthful post about the corrupted industry even though i called a Twoplustwo mod a useless servant of the demiurge the other day and my account is still here.

These are my beliefs and quite frankly i think these beliefs that i actually study and look into, have much more value than someone who believes something blindly. Or some absurd belief of a man in the sky with a beard. Indoctrination runs rampant. I do not wish to be a part of it.

these poker casino companies are always right and me an innocent human just so happens to always be wrong ?

I make mistakes all the freaking time, but the customer is always right. When companies turn evil. Thats another story alltogether.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessJames Harrisonhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20078-A-history-of-darknessCasey Urlacher (brother of Brian) among 10 alleged to have run offshore gambling ringhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20077-Casey-Urlacher-(brother-of-Brian)-among-10-alleged-to-have-run-offshore-gambling-ring&goto=newpost
Fri, 21 Feb 2020 01:25:43 GMT

Quote:

UncleMickSports.com, a pay-per-head book, allegedly operated in the Greater Chicago area, serving 1,000+ bettors since at least 2016. The domain was launched in 2014. The Feds accuse Vincent “Uncle Mick” Delgiudice of overseeing the multi-million-dollar bookmaking business. According to the indictment, Uncle Mick instructed those who owed to pay his personal and family expenses, such as his “children’s college tuition.”

Prosecutors allege that Casey Urlacher and the others ran a ring that raked in millions of dollars. Prosecutors said Casey Urlacher, 40, acted as an agent for the gambling ring. He is accused of recruiting bettors in exchange for a cut of their eventual losses.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...-gambling-ring
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20077-Casey-Urlacher-(brother-of-Brian)-among-10-alleged-to-have-run-offshore-gambling-ringScammers---Brian Voytekhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20054-Scammers-Brian-Voytek&goto=newpost
Sat, 15 Feb 2020 17:58:05 GMTHi. I am here to offer a service. I will try to explain and if you have questions ask me anything.
I learned how to do this from someone who was previously here, although how I go about is slightly different. There are many people in the poker community, and in life, that borrow/steal from others and never pay the money back and have no intentions to pay it back. My goal is to use methods taught to me and that I have come up with to get that money back from the scammers. I will not go into detail about my methods but for the most part they work quite well. NOW, the one major difference between myself and my mentor is that he would charge a percentage of the debt collected as a fee. I charge nothing. This is your money and it belongs to you and no one else has a right to it. If I get you your money back and you want to paypal me something as thanks, awesome, and if you dont, again awesome. I get more satisfaction from collecting from scammers and thiefs than a monetary reward could give me. Enough is enough of people stealing and then laughing when they get away with it. I also dont hide who I am, I dont hide my IP, you can have my email, facebook, whatever. Again, if you have questions or thoughts on this ask away.
Now, Brian Voytek, I hope you are reading this. You are an utterly atrocious piece of trash. I am coming, and I am going to go to all my skills and capabilities to absolutely destroy your life. I will accomplish it. Im not even saying anymore than that as actions speak louder than wordsHi. I am here to offer a service. I will try to explain and if you have questions ask me anything.
I learned how to do this from someone who was previously here, although how I go about is slightly different. There are many people in the poker community, and in life, that borrow/steal from others and never pay the money back and have no intentions to pay it back. My goal is to use methods taught to me and that I have come up with to get that money back from the scammers. I will not go into detail about my methods but for the most part they work quite well. NOW, the one major difference between myself and my mentor is that he would charge a percentage of the debt collected as a fee. I charge nothing. This is your money and it belongs to you and no one else has a right to it. If I get you your money back and you want to paypal me something as thanks, awesome, and if you dont, again awesome. I get more satisfaction from collecting from scammers and thiefs than a monetary reward could give me. Enough is enough of people stealing and then laughing when they get away with it. I also dont hide who I am, I dont hide my IP, you can have my email, facebook, whatever. Again, if you have questions or thoughts on this ask away.

Now, Brian Voytek, I hope you are reading this. You are an utterly atrocious piece of trash. I am coming, and I am going to go to all my skills and capabilities to absolutely destroy your life. I will accomplish it. Im not even saying anymore than that as actions speak louder than words
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessTankazoohttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20054-Scammers-Brian-VoytekProps to Druff- Good job.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20039-Props-to-Druff-Good-job&goto=newpost
Mon, 10 Feb 2020 08:19:06 GMTI dont post here much, not a poker player and not deep into the game here as most. But I do try to follow along on the PFA radio show when I can. I want to say thank you to Druff (Todd) for stepping up and recovering the $500 stolen from the player that died from cancer. Druff was able to recover the $500 and do the right thing and make contact with the family and attempt to return the scammed money. Ive known Druff for several years, we've met in person several times and he is one of the better people I know and trust, he is a good friend and model citizen, good father and has integrity. Again, I'm not in deep into your poker world and dont know all of the verbiage or culture, so I might get slammed here. But I wanted to post up here and say Thanks to TW for doing the right thing, contacting the family and following through. Good job.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessdesertrunnerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20039-Props-to-Druff-Good-jobRounder Life Alive and Wellhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20029-Rounder-Life-Alive-and-Well&goto=newpost
Sat, 08 Feb 2020 13:22:54 GMTRounder Life is still active in the Panama City Beach, FL, area. You'll find several Rounder Life sponsored tournaments and video advertisements posted on the Ebro Greyhound Park card room Facebook site.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessalpha1243https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20029-Rounder-Life-Alive-and-WellPoker Mavens software hacked to allow superusing for shady operatorshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20023-Poker-Mavens-software-hacked-to-allow-superusing-for-shady-operators&goto=newpost
Thu, 06 Feb 2020 11:39:17 GMTPoker Mavens is an inexpensive piece of poker software which runs on Windows machines, and allows anyone with Windows and an internet connection to run their own poker room.

It is used for a lot of real money "underground" poker rooms, which advertise themselves as safe and secure.

PokerFraudAlert runs Poker Mavens software. That's what we use for our NoFraud Online Poker room, which you can find near the top of the screen on the "NoFraud Online Poker" tab. Our poker room is used only for play money and freerolls, so there's no way to lose or get cheated.

However, it has recently been demonstrated to me that it is possible to modify Poker Mavens to allow anyone to be able to see all hole cards at the table!

When I say "anyone", I mean that the person running the software has to install a file on the server, and then provide access to anyone he wants (himself, friends, etc) to this card monitoring tool. I was not given information on how it works from a technical standpoint, but it was demonstrated for me on a test Poker Mavens setup.

Here are two screen shots.

This tool is being sold to those running Poker Mavens software as a way to cheat players!

It is impossible for players to be able to tell if this tool is running or not. You should STOP PLAYING IMMEDIATELY on all real money underground poker rooms running Poker Mavens software. It is clearly NOT SECURE from tampering!

I just saw this with my own eyes during this demo.

To be clear, it does not appear outsiders can hack the Poker Mavens software, but that a tool exists for sale which allows INSIDERS to install a monitoring tool (similar to the one used on AP and UB) to see everyone's hole cards.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?20023-Poker-Mavens-software-hacked-to-allow-superusing-for-shady-operatorsNevada poker player Paul Dewald claims WSOP.com did special promotional drawing on wrong datehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19978-Nevada-poker-player-Paul-Dewald-claims-WSOP-com-did-special-promotional-drawing-on-wrong-date&goto=newpost
Fri, 24 Jan 2020 07:29:06 GMTYesterday, Paul Dewald tweeted, "Join me in contacting Nevada Gaming at 702-486-2000. WSOP.com Super Bowl promotion drawn on an incorrect date with no proof it was random or a fair drawing. Demand rake they took during this period from each player to be given back to the players who played.."

As you see from the circled parts, "Tiffany B" from support claimed on 1/20/19 that the Superbowl promotion ended on 1/19/19, and therefore his 2584 entries earned (from play on the site) were now useless.

However, in the second graphic, you can see that the drawing was to take place on 1/21/19, which means they ended the drawing two days early, unless Tiffany B was mistaken.

Dewald claims this is against Nevada law, and wants people to call to complain, and "demand the rake they paid back".

I am not sure if he has legal standing here if he's correct.

It is possible that the support rep was incorrect, because WSOP.com tends to outsource its e-mail support, and it has been notoriously bad/inaccurate over the years.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19978-Nevada-poker-player-Paul-Dewald-claims-WSOP-com-did-special-promotional-drawing-on-wrong-dateRouge processorhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19974-Rouge-processor&goto=newpost
Thu, 23 Jan 2020 21:19:11 GMTMy dad is elderly so my wife is helping him with his finances paying credit cards etc. Found 3 charges from some company in china four something google related. First charge of 30 he missed then 40 then 300 and then 600. Preying on the elderly. Dad had no dealings with company from china be care full out there.My dad is elderly so my wife is helping him with his finances paying credit cards etc. Found 3 charges from some company in china four something google related. First charge of 30 he missed then 40 then 300 and then 600. Preying on the elderly. Dad had no dealings with company from china be care full out there.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessFRANKRIZZOhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19974-Rouge-processorPoker Stakinghttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19971-Poker-Staking&goto=newpost
Wed, 22 Jan 2020 04:08:22 GMTHow many "professional poker" players are staked?

Why do YouStake and Stake Kings websites look almost exactly the same?

How much money are these professional poker pros really making?

Poker staking is shady because TV makes it so.

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessTheXFactorhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19971-Poker-Stakinghttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19930-Sacramento-area-Card-Room-forced-quot-closed-down-quot-by-emergency-in-California-Hint-it-wasn-t-Stones-and-it-wasn-t-for-Cheating&goto=newpost
Tue, 07 Jan 2020 22:53:09 GMTMagnolia House Casino, a card room in Rancho Cordova was temporarily shut by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. It will remain like that until they can demonstrate they have no longer have an issue with possessing funds within their operation that pretty match gaming chips in play.

They were also intermingling "banker money" (remember, this is supposed to be owned for the purposes of dealing by *an independent entity* in a California card rooms) with their own funds. From the article:

It also failed to deposit funds from “third-party providers” into separate accounts, as required by state gaming laws. Card rooms, unlike Indian casinos in California, aren’t allowed to act as “the house” and are required to work with third-party providers that handle the actual betting at their card tables.

Here's an article which describes the situation from the Sacramento Bee:https://www.sacbee.com/entertainment...239013588.html
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessForum Warshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19930-Sacramento-area-Card-Room-forced-quot-closed-down-quot-by-emergency-in-California-Hint-it-wasn-t-Stones-and-it-wasn-t-for-Cheatinghttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19927-Another-black-eye-for-DFS-Most-recent-DraftKings-million-dollars-winner-is-a-female-contestant-from-quot-The-Bachelor-quot-who-appears-to-have-colluded-with-her-husband&goto=newpost
Mon, 06 Jan 2020 14:44:48 GMTThe following article breaks it down pretty well, so I won't bother writing it up here:

Cliffs: Jade Roper (now Jade Tolbert) was on the TV show "The Bachelor", and won the DraftKings Millionaire Maker this week. She is married to Tanner Tolbert, who previously appeared on "The Bachelorette".

Both entered this week's contest on DraftKings, and each entered 150 lineups. Their lineups were configured in a way to where it looked more like 300 unique entries, to where there was such little duplication that it is almost statistically impossible for such uniqueness to occur without colluding together.

It's the DFS equivalent of multi-accounting.

Also, laughably one of Tanner's friends, who claimed to have been on the phone with him all day, accidentally congratulated HIM for winning, instead of Jade. Then he deleted his tweet. Oops!

It is very likely that Jade won in name only, and that Tanner submitted both lineups in order to give himself double the chance of winning.

This is very embarrassing for DraftKings, where their first sort-of-famous-outside-of-DFS million dollar winner turned out to be a cheater.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19927-Another-black-eye-for-DFS-Most-recent-DraftKings-million-dollars-winner-is-a-female-contestant-from-quot-The-Bachelor-quot-who-appears-to-have-colluded-with-her-husbandFive online sportsbooks run by Ontario Hells Angels bustedhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19887-Five-online-sportsbooks-run-by-Ontario-Hells-Angels-busted&goto=newpost
Fri, 20 Dec 2019 10:13:13 GMTIf you've been betting on any of the following sportsbooks, you can kiss your money goodbye:

However, if you're not from southwest Ontario, Canada, you probably haven't heard of any of these.

These were books run by the Ontario Hells Angels, and were done via the bookie/agent model, where you bet through an online site (one of the five above), but the deposits and payouts are settled weekly, and handled by an agent of the owner. I believe one of them is still up -- playtowin.ag.

This was apparently a big operation, netting $131 million over 5 years.

Former London, Ontario Hells Angels president Robert Barletta was arrested for this. He had been arrested for involvement in the "Platinum Sports Book" from 2008-2013. However, he escaped conviction of those charges, and was known around southwest Ontario for his ability to maintain a clean record despite repeated arrests for major criminal offenses.

The article I linked above also claims that this gambling ring has some links to a Mafia family in Ontario, as well.

VICE did an article in 2013 related to the busts of the Platinum Sports Book. The article describes in detail how the entire thing worked, and how the busts came down at an invitation-only Superbowl party for its customers: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/3...ports-gambling

There are no allegations of scamming or cheating customers here. However, the investigation spawned because of violence apparently tied to the gambling operation.

Michael Deabaitua-Schulde was murdered in March 2019 as he left a gym in Mississauga, Ontario, and police believe the murder had to do with the operation in some way.

The operation was based out of London, Ontario. London has a population of about 400,000, and is the first decent-sized city when traveling east from Detroit towards Toronto. It is 80 miles west of Hamilton, 120 miles southwest of Toronto, and 120 miles northeast of Detroit.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19887-Five-online-sportsbooks-run-by-Ontario-Hells-Angels-bustedScammer Brian Voytek Latest Info @grindinggrinder ACR poker fraudhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19883-Scammer-Brian-Voytek-Latest-Info-grindinggrinder-ACR-poker-fraud&goto=newpost
Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:53:01 GMTHey guys. Ran across longtime scammer Brian Voytek @grindinggrinder personal Facebook page and saw him trying to sell some items. Then also found him on a offer up site and contacted him. The idiot fell for a set up meeting and gave me all his personal information.
His phone number is : 702-503-9971
His home address is : 6250 Hargrove Ave. apt #56 Las Vegas, NV. 89107 (Yardz at Mirabelli complex)
I contacted the apartments and confirmed he is living there.
If anyone in Las Vegas has been scammed should consider filing a police report.
Hope this helps prevent future scams as he’s still
At it daily and mocking his victims.Hey guys. Ran across longtime scammer Brian Voytek @grindinggrinder personal Facebook page and saw him trying to sell some items. Then also found him on a offer up site and contacted him. The idiot fell for a set up meeting and gave me all his personal information.

If anyone in Las Vegas has been scammed should consider filing a police report.

Hope this helps prevent future scams as he’s still
At it daily and mocking his victims.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessVoytrashhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19883-Scammer-Brian-Voytek-Latest-Info-grindinggrinder-ACR-poker-fraudhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19867-Peter-Jepsen-(-quot-Zupp-quot-)-convicted-of-trojan-related-cheating-over-6-year-span&goto=newpost
Thu, 12 Dec 2019 13:00:48 GMTPeter "Zupp" Jepsen, a once respected online high stakes Danish pro, has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and fined $3.9 million for his scheme.

From 2008-2014, Jepsen installed trojans on the computers of other high stakes pros, after gaining access to their machines at EPT live events. He then could see their hole cards, and crushed them online. Supposedly he installed the programs in Copenhagen, Las Vegas, Aarhus, and Berlin. A Danish police IT worker, among others, have also been indicted related to the matter.

Here is a translation of a Danish article about it:

Quote:

For several years, a professional poker player committed fraud against other players after installing a spy program on their computers.

On Monday, the Copenhagen City Court ruled in a sentence that the man has been sentenced to unconditional imprisonment for two years and six months.

The criminal case was launched in May and is about the man's activities in relation to other players from 2008 to 2014.

The defendant is largely convicted of the charge of fraud and hacking.

The illegal profits that are confiscated are estimated at DKK 26,376,929 ($3.93 million US dollars).

At the sentencing, the court stated that imprisonment for three years is actually an appropriate penalty. But six months have been deducted from the sentence because the case has been long overdue, said the prosecutor in the case, Lisette Jørgensen.

The defendant has been protected by name bans, and this continues to apply, the prosecutor said.

The man on the spot has appealed to the Eastern Lands Court, where he demands an acquittal.

In a previous hearing, it emerged that it was his old friend who went to the police with the unusual review.

Three witnesses - one man and two women - have told the court that the man admitted to them that they have installed the spyware on other players' computers.

The confession fell during a stroll by one of the lakes in Copenhagen.

"He says he installed the program to see my cards," said the male witness.

As previously mentioned, the convicted person has pleaded not guilty. About his career, he says he got a taste for betting money through card games in the mid-'00s.

Gradually he became so good at the game that he could make a living from it. He was completely engrossed.

"In the beginning, before I had a girlfriend, I probably played for periods of 16 hours a day. That was the first thing I did in the morning. Then I went back and forth between the computer and the toaster," he said.

According to the verdict, in addition to the $ 26 million, he has to pay almost $ 800,000 to a person.

Jepsen is not named in the article due to Danish law which even protects convicted felons, but he's the subject for sure.

It is not clear if the $3.93 million seized will be used to repay victims.

In 2013, Jepsen was involved in another cheating controversy, where he was accused of multi-accounting in order to beat Viktor "Isildur1" Blom heads up out of $800,000. That session took place in 2009, but now is under further suspicion, as it's possible that Jepsen and/or his cheating partner (Robert Flink) had access to Blom's holecards via the trojan.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19867-Peter-Jepsen-(-quot-Zupp-quot-)-convicted-of-trojan-related-cheating-over-6-year-spanShiiiit - Shady chat conversation with an ACR agent.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19858-Shiiiit-Shady-chat-conversation-with-an-ACR-agent&goto=newpost
Mon, 09 Dec 2019 20:27:20 GMTShady although nothing has been stolen or anything. Delete / move the thread whatever.
dude starts talking about suing the company, asking if i work for a governemnt agency and seems to be enraged and starts talking about buttons, even though there was never any mention of buttons.
This is weird aside from the obvious. Because im being reminded of that Tony guy from 5Dimes support who said similar things in chat. And if i remember the story correctly went missing on some island and has never been found. Like how could he be obviously this dumb ? or is he in trouble or just simply frustrated and is it a cry for help ?
I have my thoughts on ACR and a good % of the industry in general but this ? ShiiiiitShady although nothing has been stolen or anything. Delete / move the thread whatever.

dude starts talking about suing the company, asking if i work for a governemnt agency and seems to be enraged and starts talking about buttons, even though there was never any mention of buttons.

This is weird aside from the obvious. Because im being reminded of that Tony guy from 5Dimes support who said similar things in chat. And if i remember the story correctly went missing on some island and has never been found. Like how could he be obviously this dumb ? or is he in trouble or just simply frustrated and is it a cry for help ?

I have my thoughts on ACR and a good % of the industry in general but this ? Shiiiiit
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessJames Harrisonhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19858-Shiiiit-Shady-chat-conversation-with-an-ACR-agent*WARNING* BONDBET.COM IS A SCAM SITE *WARNING*https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19803-*WARNING*-BONDBET-COM-IS-A-SCAM-SITE-*WARNING*&goto=newpost
Fri, 22 Nov 2019 12:36:42 GMTI apologize I have difficulty uploading pictures and screen shots on pfa, I never really figuered it out.
After 6 weeks of 5 different reasons why they would not action my $500 withdrawl after following all the rules and submitting everything they still refuse to pay me.
The worste part is each time i submitted a requested doc I was sent a reply stating that the documents were approved and please request the withdrawl again at my earliest convinience. All to wait another 7 days to be given a different excuse. Withthe latest I recieved today. Now I was randomly selected for a additional security check. After 6 weeks of sending docs that were supposedly approved.
I did not use a bonus on the deposit and my money shows withdrawable on the site. I can now say without any shadow of a doubt that they are a scam site.
I would truly like to explain everything on Radio as a PSA and also if anybody has any advice for me.
Today I gave up on the 500$ after 6 weeks of them treating me for a fool. However I would like to expose them for how they operate. None of those sites are perfect, I have had some minor difficulties on other sites. But NEVER have I witnessed the kind of scam these guys are pulling. I will try to call radio to provide additional information and im happy to donate to the freerole for the chance to explain evrything they put me through.
THANK YOU PFA COMMUNITY AND DRUFFI apologize I have difficulty uploading pictures and screen shots on pfa, I never really figuered it out.
After 6 weeks of 5 different reasons why they would not action my $500 withdrawl after following all the rules and submitting everything they still refuse to pay me.

The worste part is each time i submitted a requested doc I was sent a reply stating that the documents were approved and please request the withdrawl again at my earliest convinience. All to wait another 7 days to be given a different excuse. Withthe latest I recieved today. Now I was randomly selected for a additional security check. After 6 weeks of sending docs that were supposedly approved.

I did not use a bonus on the deposit and my money shows withdrawable on the site. I can now say without any shadow of a doubt that they are a scam site.

I would truly like to explain everything on Radio as a PSA and also if anybody has any advice for me.

Today I gave up on the 500$ after 6 weeks of them treating me for a fool. However I would like to expose them for how they operate. None of those sites are perfect, I have had some minor difficulties on other sites. But NEVER have I witnessed the kind of scam these guys are pulling. I will try to call radio to provide additional information and im happy to donate to the freerole for the chance to explain evrything they put me through.

THANK YOU PFA COMMUNITY AND DRUFF
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessdrufdajewgodhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19803-*WARNING*-BONDBET-COM-IS-A-SCAM-SITE-*WARNING*Serial ACR scammer Brian Voytek ripping people off againhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19789-Serial-ACR-scammer-Brian-Voytek-ripping-people-off-again&goto=newpost
Tue, 19 Nov 2019 07:20:43 GMTVarious players across poker groups are alleging that a player named "Chris Polker" ran low level scams, basically asking for money trades and then not sending on his end.

However, it turns out that there is no person in the US named Chris Polker, and the culprit is career scammer Brian Voytek. The picture he was using was of an uninvolved east coast poker player.

Many have since come forward with stories of Voytek ripping them off the same way. Apparently he has been doing the same thing on Global Poker, as well.

Voytek, posing as this "Chris Polker" character, was also arrogantly taunting the victims on social media, telling them things like, "Never trust a poker payer" and "Teach valuable lessons in life".

What a complete asshole. Screen shots below.

His most recent screen names:
ACR: BOSTONPOKER
Cash App: $texans2020

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19789-Serial-ACR-scammer-Brian-Voytek-ripping-people-off-againA misdeal....ON ONLINE POKER!?!?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19710-A-misdeal-ON-ONLINE-POKER!-!&goto=newpost
Sun, 27 Oct 2019 22:02:30 GMTA friend of mine in a poker group just posted this.
I’ve never seen this in all of my years playing/following online poker.
WTF!!!!????
Attachment 45758 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=45758)A friend of mine in a poker group just posted this.

I’ve never seen this in all of my years playing/following online poker.

WTF!!!!????

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19710-A-misdeal-ON-ONLINE-POKER!-!WPN/ACR has regressed back into Botland since the ChicagoJoey interview and not paying Rakebackhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19642-WPN-ACR-has-regressed-back-into-Botland-since-the-ChicagoJoey-interview-and-not-paying-Rakeback&goto=newpost
Thu, 10 Oct 2019 07:26:25 GMTInteresting article on Pokernews.. Apparently since the Joey Ingraham stories and interview with good old Phil Nagy things have returned to the same shitfest it was before.. No bots have been outted and banned since May and theres multiple confirmed incidents it appears of Bots sitting at Omaha Tables possibly even colluding.. On top of that theres rumblings that suddenly rakeback is not being paid out as was agreed either a thread on Four appears to have exploded also over there.. Obviously this would get a ton of coverage if not for Postlegate basically taking over the poker news world.. Links below to the NVG thread which is 3 pages right now and the story on pokernews below it..
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/bots-player-funds-misappropriation-wpn-1753413/
https://www.pokernews.com/news/2019/10/wpn-overrun-bots-not-paying-rakeback-35618.htm?itm_content=pn-hp-hero-4Interesting article on Pokernews.. Apparently since the Joey Ingraham stories and interview with good old Phil Nagy things have returned to the same shitfest it was before.. No bots have been outted and banned since May and theres multiple confirmed incidents it appears of Bots sitting at Omaha Tables possibly even colluding.. On top of that theres rumblings that suddenly rakeback is not being paid out as was agreed either a thread on Four appears to have exploded also over there.. Obviously this would get a ton of coverage if not for Postlegate basically taking over the poker news world.. Links below to the NVG thread which is 3 pages right now and the story on pokernews below it..

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2019/...t=pn-hp-hero-4
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessftpjesushttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19642-WPN-ACR-has-regressed-back-into-Botland-since-the-ChicagoJoey-interview-and-not-paying-Rakebackhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19609-Stones-livestream-player-Mike-Postle-accused-of-quot-live-superusing-quot&goto=newpost
Tue, 01 Oct 2019 00:47:17 GMTReally interesting story, and in fact would be a case of life imitating art, if true.

On December 5, 2005, during the peak of the poker boom, the fictional drama TV show "Las Vegas" aired an episode about an amateur female poker player winning a poker tournament by seemingly making impossibly good reads. It turned out that the woman was in cahoots with someone on the staff which televised the final table, and gave her a signal whenever her opponent didn't really have a hand. This gave her the ability to put a ton of pressure on opponents and always get them to fold when weak.

In the story, Howard Lederer (playing himself) helped analyze the play and stated that it was just too good to be true, which led to the heroes cracking the scheme and busting both conspirators.

Of course, this was all fiction. To my knowledge, this has never occurred in real life. Despite the danger of televised events possibly allowing for cheating, I haven't heard of any verified (or even credibly accused) instances of it actually occurring.

Until now.

Mike Postle is a mostly-unknown player. He has racked up a lot of tournament cashes over the years, adding up to over $500k. However, no cash was over $118k, and most of the tournaments he's entered in the last few years have been low stakes.

He's recently been playing on the Stones Live stream, which is similar to Live at the Bike. Stones is located in the Sacramento area. Two years ago, I appeared on the stream, playing 100-200 limit holdem.

I have an idea... why doesn't he come down to play at Live at the Bike instead, and we can see if he has the same abilities?
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19609-Stones-livestream-player-Mike-Postle-accused-of-quot-live-superusing-quotWhen $400 becomes $410 -- hidden add-on at WPT event angers Allen Kessler, othershttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19603-When-400-becomes-410-hidden-add-on-at-WPT-event-angers-Allen-Kessler-others&goto=newpost
Sat, 28 Sep 2019 00:53:56 GMTAllen Kessler posted about a small but problematic "fine print" issue regarding a WPT tournament at Maryland Live! casino.

Here's the structure sheet:

You buy in for $400 and start with 12,000 chips. Buried in "Event Details", it turns out you can add on another 5,000 chips for just $10 -- something one would be an absolute moron to turn down. So you're basically committed to spend $410 on the event, not $400, unless you want to play with a tremendous disadvantage.

The $10 is for "the dealers", which is fine. What's not fine is the fact that this cost is hidden. This can especially cause problems if someone brought exactly $400 with them, and doesn't have $10 on them to add on. There's no reason to hide things like this.

Simply make it a $410 event, give $10 of it to the dealers, and be done with it.

It's possible that this is a legal thing. Perhaps they can't withhold $10 from the regular prize pool for the dealers, under Maryland law? I doubt it, but even if that's the case, they can at least clearly state this when promoting the tournament, so everyone knows it's a $410 event, and everyone knows to bring another $10.

Some people on Kessler's Facebook page are mocking him for this. Rebuttals include "It's only $10", "It's for the dealers, who cares?", and "It's not mandatory. I'd only have a problem if it's mandatory."

These people are all missing the point. Tournament structure sheets and promotional material should NEVER be misleading, whether it's for $1, $10, or $1000. It's the principle of the matter, and poker players shouldn't accept being tricked just because the amount of money is low, or because the money is going to a good cause. If these principles are not upheld, the incidence of this will increase, and for more money. Look at what Venetian is doing right now as a good example.

Furthermore, the "it's not mandatory" response is laughable, since it's virtually mandatory unless you want to play with a gigantic disadvantage. Once you spend $400 on 12,000 chips, you are pot committed to spend $10 more on 5,000 additional chips. So it's basically mandatory for anyone with a sense of very basic mathematics.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19603-When-400-becomes-410-hidden-add-on-at-WPT-event-angers-Allen-Kessler-othersPokerStars handed €400,000 fine for illegal gambling in the Netherlandshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19586-PokerStars-handed-€400-000-fine-for-illegal-gambling-in-the-Netherlands&goto=newpost
Mon, 23 Sep 2019 23:21:17 GMT
---Quote---
Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has fined The Stars Group €400,000 (£353,442/$439,500) for operating without a licence in the country, via the PokerStars.eu domain.
The KSA carried out an investigation into the PokerStars.eu site during the second half of 2018 and identified a number of factors that showed the site was targeting Dutch consumers.
In its findings, the KSA said the site was accessible from the Netherlands despite The Stars Group not holding a licence in the country, while customers were able to deposit funds using iDEAL, an online payment method only available in the Netherlands.
Other factors included an in-site contact form published in Dutch language and the mention of two Dutch problem gambling organisations. In addition, the Netherlands was not mentioned in a list of countries from which gambling via the website was not permitted.
The KSA also noted that the Netherlands classes poker as a game of chance, and only Holland Casino is allowed to offer real-money poker services at one of its land-based sites.
---End Quote---
https://www.igamingbusiness.com/news/dutch-regulator-hands-pokerstars-400000-fine

Quote:

Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has fined The Stars Group €400,000 (£353,442/$439,500) for operating without a licence in the country, via the PokerStars.eu domain.

The KSA carried out an investigation into the PokerStars.eu site during the second half of 2018 and identified a number of factors that showed the site was targeting Dutch consumers.

In its findings, the KSA said the site was accessible from the Netherlands despite The Stars Group not holding a licence in the country, while customers were able to deposit funds using iDEAL, an online payment method only available in the Netherlands.

Other factors included an in-site contact form published in Dutch language and the mention of two Dutch problem gambling organisations. In addition, the Netherlands was not mentioned in a list of countries from which gambling via the website was not permitted.

The KSA also noted that the Netherlands classes poker as a game of chance, and only Holland Casino is allowed to offer real-money poker services at one of its land-based sites.

https://www.igamingbusiness.com/news...rs-400000-fine
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19586-PokerStars-handed-€400-000-fine-for-illegal-gambling-in-the-NetherlandsFreerolls Poker Club - Houston ||Man wins $250k crack the vault promotionhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19562-Freerolls-Poker-Club-Houston-Man-wins-250k-crack-the-vault-promotion&goto=newpost
Thu, 19 Sep 2019 02:56:11 GMTOr does he?!?!?
This is a hilarious fail from the Freerolls poker club.
A couple of days ago the Freerolls Poker club posted a video of the owner (and convicted felon) Trent Daniel congratulating a player on cracking the vault and winning $250,000.
The crack the vault promotion was a machine/kiosk that you put in a 6 digit password and if you guess correctly you win the prize.
It appears Freerolls had this machine for only a couple of weeks before the lucky winner cracked the code.
In order to get a crack at the code, the players had to do something that I’m not sure, like a high hand or some sort.
Here is a post on their page showing the winner.
Attachment 45353 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=45353)
BUT WAIT!!!!
They celebrated a little to early. Apparently the player hit a button showing what the potential prize would be, it popped up on the screen.
The idiotic staff and even the owner didn’t realize this before bragging about it on social media.
Freerolls poker club is the same club that held the WPT event in Houston and didn’t pay their employees.
I personally was involved in this as an traveling employee and they still have refused to pay me $608 that they say I’ve already been paid.
Here is a link to the video where they LOL explain what happened
https://vimeo.com/360911389Or does he?!?!?

This is a hilarious fail from the Freerolls poker club.

A couple of days ago the Freerolls Poker club posted a video of the owner (and convicted felon) Trent Daniel congratulating a player on cracking the vault and winning $250,000.

The crack the vault promotion was a machine/kiosk that you put in a 6 digit password and if you guess correctly you win the prize.

It appears Freerolls had this machine for only a couple of weeks before the lucky winner cracked the code.

In order to get a crack at the code, the players had to do something that I’m not sure, like a high hand or some sort.

Here is a post on their page showing the winner.

BUT WAIT!!!!

They celebrated a little to early. Apparently the player hit a button showing what the potential prize would be, it popped up on the screen.

The idiotic staff and even the owner didn’t realize this before bragging about it on social media.

Freerolls poker club is the same club that held the WPT event in Houston and didn’t pay their employees.

I personally was involved in this as an traveling employee and they still have refused to pay me $608 that they say I’ve already been paid.

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19562-Freerolls-Poker-Club-Houston-Man-wins-250k-crack-the-vault-promotionGoldman Sachs Senior Executive in India Stole $5.3 million To Pay Down Poker Debthttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19540-Goldman-Sachs-Senior-Executive-in-India-Stole-5-3-million-To-Pay-Down-Poker-Debt&goto=newpost
Sat, 14 Sep 2019 04:24:58 GMTA senior Goldman Sachs exec working in India was arrested for stealing Rs. 38 crore ($5.3 million in USD) from the firm to pay down his gambling debts:

Quote:

A senior executive of global investment firm Goldman Sachs was arrested in Bengaluru on Tuesday for allegedly swindling the firm of Rs. 38 crore to overcome financial losses while playing an online game recently.

Ashwani Jhunjhunwala, the firm's vice president, has been arrested and will be produced in court, deputy commissioner of police MN Anucheth told news agency PTI.

Based on a complaint by the legal head of the company Abhishek Parsheera, a case has been filed against Ashwani Jhunjhunwala and his aide.

According to the police complaint, Ashwani Jhunjhunwala had used his three subordinates Gaurav Mishra, Abhishek Yadav and Sujith Appaiah to swindle money. He had allegedly logged on to their office systems on the pretext of training them.

"While working on their computers, he sent them away on some or the other pretext such as bringing water and logged on to their system.

Then, he transferred Rs. 38 crore in two instalments to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China illegally," the FIR said.

His accomplice Vedant, who has been terminated from the company for fraudulent activities, had allegedly connived with him to siphon off the money.

Quote:

The company stated in its complaint that Ashwani Jhunjhunwala had lost $70,000 while playing online poker. He had also obtained loan of Rs. 25 lakh ($25k) and personal loans from a few others.

Jhunjhunwala is facing a potential of 27 years in prison and large fines.

https://www.businesstoday.in/current...ry/378341.html
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19540-Goldman-Sachs-Senior-Executive-in-India-Stole-5-3-million-To-Pay-Down-Poker-DebtVenetian $150,000 Guarantee event is actually a $150,000 MAXIMUM event where they pocket extra moneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19534-Venetian-150-000-Guarantee-event-is-actually-a-150-000-MAXIMUM-event-where-they-pocket-extra-money&goto=newpost
Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:01:17 GMTTotal scumbag move by Venetian's poker room, where they have mangled the entire concept of a guarantee, and made it super player-unfriendly without being totally up front about it.

Go to page #2 of the structure sheet linked above, and look at term #9:

Quote:

100% of all funds collected will go to meet the $150,000 Total Prize Pool. Any funds collected above and beyond the total prize pool will be the sole property of The Venetian Poker Room.

:what

So basically, the prize pool is going to be exactly $150,000, no matter how many or how few entrants they get. So if they get 1000 entries, they will be collecting $250,000, yet only awarding $150,000 in prize money! If they get 2000 entries, again they will be only awarding $150,000 prize money, and pocketing the other $350k!

WTF!!!!

While it's true that there will be an overlay if fewer than 600 entries are achieved, that's unlikely because they have 6 starting flights, and allow rebuys. They would need just 100 entries per flight (including rebuys) in order to avoid the overlay and start pocketing every single entry fee beyond that.

This is totally non-standard. Never seen anything like it before.

What's worse is that they are not up front about this horrendous payout scheme. It's buried in term #9 of page 2 of the structure sheet. On the main tournament webpage, they refer to the tournament simply as "$150,000 Total", which isn't at all clear. Every single event of this series has a pre-set "total", with one as low as $4,000 for a $125 event, meaning they will pocket the remaining buyins once they get 32 entries! WOW!!!

The poker world should speak up LOUD AND CLEAR that this will not be tolerated, and the Venetian Poker room should be pressured to change this awful policy, or at the very least, be VERY CLEAR AND UP FRONT about this scheme to everyone attempting to register.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19534-Venetian-150-000-Guarantee-event-is-actually-a-150-000-MAXIMUM-event-where-they-pocket-extra-moneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19499-Hellmuth-and-Matusow-Go-South-During-Live-At-The-Bike&goto=newpost
Wed, 04 Sep 2019 21:26:38 GMT

Quote:

Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow find themselves at the center of a debate after “going south” during a televised cash game at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles.

The pair are in Los Angeles for the WPT Legends of Poker festival but took some time away from the tournament grind to play the televised cash known worldwide as Live At The Bike. Hellmuth and Matusow were playing $50/$100 no-limit hold’em on a live feed and Matusow was showing a profit.

The Incident
Fifteen-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Hellmuth got up to leave mid-session and it quickly became apparent he had staked Matusow, or at least bought some of his action.

“Mike, I’m going to have to quit, bro,” Hellmuth said as he gathered his chips from the table, before adding, “It’s only fair I can get off, bro. The first one is your money, so just give me half, bro."

As Matusow was cutting Hellmuth’s share of his stack, one of the players at the table asked what was going on. Hellmuth explained that Matusow was not quitting, he would still be playing. Matusow confirmed this and continued to count out chips from his stack.

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19499-Hellmuth-and-Matusow-Go-South-During-Live-At-The-BikeEPT Barcelona Quan Zhou Angleshoothttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19487-EPT-Barcelona-Quan-Zhou-Angleshoot&goto=newpost
Mon, 02 Sep 2019 06:40:10 GMTA few days ago Poker Player Quan Zhou was playing at a featured table at EPT Barcelona’s Main Event
He gets involved in a hand where he opens pocket 6’s and gets 3bet.
He goes into the tank for a short time and then takes his cards and slides them face down towards the dealer but never releases the cards.
As he’s sliding his cards in, he’s eyeing his opponent as his opponent looks back at his hand.
He then quickly takes his cards back and ends up making the call.
His opponent flops top 2 and Zhou folds his hand.
It’s possible he saw his opponents hand.
Here is a link to the video: https://twitter.com/pokerstarslive/status/1166749349134635009?s=21A few days ago Poker Player Quan Zhou was playing at a featured table at EPT Barcelona’s Main Event

He gets involved in a hand where he opens pocket 6’s and gets 3bet.

He goes into the tank for a short time and then takes his cards and slides them face down towards the dealer but never releases the cards.

As he’s sliding his cards in, he’s eyeing his opponent as his opponent looks back at his hand.

On August 8th, we were contacted by a potential customer and by Malwarebytes stating that PokerTracker.com website had been infected by a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack. Within an hour of receiving the email from Malwarebytes, we had determined that an old Drupal module which is no longer maintained contained a security vulnerability which allowed an attacker to inject an XSS attack into the footer of the PokerTracker.com website. We immediately disabled the module and the rogue script was no longer being injected.

Within 24 hours of the email from Malwarebytes, we took several further security steps which included patching the Drupal module that was vulnerable and tightening up our Content Security Policy to only allow whitelisted scripts to be executed so that the same type of XSS attack would no longer be possible.

In the days since the attack, we have been conducting a post mortem to determine the scope and severity of the attack so that we could contact those customers potentially affected. Here is what we have learned thus far:

This was a highly customized and targeted attack of PokerTracker.com and it’s customers. The script was being loaded from ajaxclick.[com] which has not previously been seen in the wild.

It appears that the attack took place between December 23, 2018 and January 2, 2019.

We believe that the attackers were attempting to intercept credit card information while it was being sent from the user’s browser to the credit card processor. We do not have any information to confirm or deny whether the hackers were able to successfully intercept credit card and/or billing data.

PokerTracker does not save or store any credit card or billing information on our servers. Only those customers who attempted to purchase via credit card while the rogue script was on the site are affected. We estimate that the number of affected customers is in the low thousands and we are in the process of notifying them.

The PokerTracker 4 application and your data within PokerTracker 4 has never been compromised. PokerTracker 4 does load an internal browser for the community page which would have loaded the rogue script but it is not technically possible for the script to gain access to view your data within the PokerTracker application.

We have no reason to believe that your PokerTracker.com username or password were intercepted; however, to be abundantly cautious we recommend changing your password.

If you entered your credit card information on the PokerTracker.com website between the dates of December 23, 2018 and August 8, 2019 we will be contacting you to urge you to closely monitor your credit card activity for any fraudulent purchases. If you notice a fraudulent charge, please immediately contact the telephone number on the back of your credit card to notify them of the fraudulent activity.

We regret that this incident has occurred and sincerely apologize that it has taken us three weeks to properly assess the scope and severity of the damage to notify potentially affected customers. This is the first time that we have had a major security incident and we have learned a lot during this process that we can improve upon.

If you paid for PokerTracker recently, don't panic. Your credit card may not ever be used. However, you should check your statements carefully going forward to make sure that fraudulent charges are not made on it. You can get all fraudulent charges easily reversed with zero liability on pretty much all credit cards.

If you are too nervous about this occurring, you can always call your credit card company, claim you lost your card, and get a new one issued.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19463-Poker-Tracker-hacked-payment-info-has-been-exposedPlayer claims Bovada falsely accused him of chargebackhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19426-Player-claims-Bovada-falsely-accused-him-of-chargeback&goto=newpost
Sat, 17 Aug 2019 00:52:43 GMTFrom 2+2:

Quote:

This could go in payment thread, but I think it is best suited here, especially since strange actions at Ignition have been discussed here.

I am a long time poster who created this account for anonymity. Several weeks back in this thread there was some discussion about the possibility of a rogue employee at Ignition and/or other strange stuff. He is my story. For privacy I am going to say “about” instead of use exact dates or amounts. “About” a little over 2 weeks ago I tried to log into my Ignition account and a pop-up said my account was disabled. I decided to check my email before calling support. I had an email saying that there was a chargeback on my account for “about” $500 dated from “about” March. I thought that was strange and maybe impossible to charge something back that late after the fact. I Googled to find out how late can a chargeback occur and Google said 120 days is the standard longest length. So somehow right as my deposit from MONTHS ago was nearing the end of being able to do a chargeback someone at Ignition or whatever processor they used is claiming there is a chargeback. I checked my card and my card company says no chargeback occured. And I can clearly see every transaction on my card.

I called Ignition support and they say I can do one of two things. I can make another charge to them of “about” $500 right now or I can wait 5 to 10 business days for the chargeback money to show on my card and then send Ignition the money. There was no way in hell I was sending first. I asked the Ignition lady on the phone in great detail and specifics, “let me get this straight, you are going to send me money, and then you want me to send it to you?”. She said yes.

I have plenty of places to play online and live, so having my poker account disabled and waiting 5 to 10 business days for them to send me money from a phantom chargeback was no big deal to me. But I am sure there are a lot of naive, desperate or impatient gamblers that would have sent the money in first to get their account opened back up immediately. But I waited and after 10 business days there was no money sent to my card. Of course there was not going to be any money sent to my card. THERE WAS NO DAMN CHARGEBACK. And after the 10 business days I sent records from my card to Ignition showing there was no chargeback and neither was there any money sent to me as part of a chargeback. They immediately opened my account back up. But and here is the amazing kicker, I didn’t get an apology email, I got an email saying that since I was a long standing player (my account goes back many years to even before Ignition was created from Bovada) and since my account has always been in good standing they are forgiving the “about” $500 but next time I will be held responsible for any chargebacks.

What the hell. There was no chargeback. Either an Ignition employee or an Ignition processor is doing some shady stuff. When Pokerstars was still in the grey market around Black Friday infamous Daniel Tzvetkoff and his company Intabill and that other processor Selling Source, stole millions from Pokerstars. Now everytime I hear about player processing problems, I figure at least a few of Ignition’s processors are stealing from them.

So. My account is open. The fake chargeback was for “about” $500. They restored the amount that was in my account when it was disabled. They didn’t try to steal it or claim it was part of the fake chargeback. I immediately withdrew and was paid. But now there is a threat over my account that “next time I’m on the hook for anything wrong with my account.” In the last 120 days I have one deposit with a card and I’m not going to risk that another phantom chargeback is going to be claimed. After the 120 days mark passses on that one deposit I don’t know if I will go back to playing Ignition. Also, I don’t know the business structure at Bovada and if they would try to clawback an Ignition claim so I am not playing Bovada either. But if I ever did play again, I would need to make a deposit since I withdrew everything. I will never deposit with a card again (or anything that chargeback claims can be made), I will instead use something like Bitcoin.

Be careful out there.

Source: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/s...ostcount=55637
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19426-Player-claims-Bovada-falsely-accused-him-of-chargebackRich Alati DQ’ed from Encore Boston for marking cards (update: story seems questionable)https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19412-Rich-Alati-DQ’ed-from-Encore-Boston-for-marking-cards-(update-story-seems-questionable)&goto=newpost
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:52:35 GMTHappened @ Hard Rock casino in a $2,650 tournament.
This has been confirmed by multiple players in the HS community via a Telegram group chat...which I’m sure this information will be public soon.Happened @ Hard Rock casino in a $2,650 tournament.

This has been confirmed by multiple players in the HS community via a Telegram group chat...which I’m sure this information will be public soon.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessKinghttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19412-Rich-Alati-DQ’ed-from-Encore-Boston-for-marking-cards-(update-story-seems-questionable)Borovetz arrested again for airport scamshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19411-Borovetz-arrested-again-for-airport-scams&goto=newpost
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 06:41:46 GMThttps://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2019/08/13/airport-man-44-allegedly-scammed-travelers-sad-stories/1998025001/
Gambling Addiction is a horrific diseasehttps://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...es/1998025001/

Gambling Addiction is a horrific disease
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessGookieheimowitzhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19411-Borovetz-arrested-again-for-airport-scamsWSOP Circuit Dealer allegedly catches cheaters/marked cards @ big stakes home game near Cherokee, NC WSOP.COM stophttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19389-WSOP-Circuit-Dealer-allegedly-catches-cheaters-marked-cards-big-stakes-home-game-near-Cherokee-NC-WSOP-COM-stop&goto=newpost
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 06:32:09 GMTA dealer that deals the WSOP and deals several stops on the circuit posted a series of pictures showing “marked” cards or “magician” cards.
He stated that this was a home game that several of the dealers at Cherokee play in, because while dealing the circuit, they don’t allow you to play at that casino. If you’ve ever been to Cherokee, you know there isn’t much to do unless you like the outdoors.
The dealer posted the following on Facebook.
As far as how he got ahold of the cards. Apparently the people that were running the scam was his roommates.
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Attachment 44847 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=44847)A dealer that deals the WSOP and deals several stops on the circuit posted a series of pictures showing “marked” cards or “magician” cards.

He stated that this was a home game that several of the dealers at Cherokee play in, because while dealing the circuit, they don’t allow you to play at that casino. If you’ve ever been to Cherokee, you know there isn’t much to do unless you like the outdoors.

The dealer posted the following on Facebook.

As far as how he got ahold of the cards. Apparently the people that were running the scam was his roommates.

Both parties agreed to a 1.1-1.2 mark up and the staking group bought 10% and sent Nick $1,750 for the action.

3 weeks later the staking group asked for proof of receipts that he had bought into each tournament, at this time Nick said that he was most likely not playing either tournament. The staking group was fine with it and requested the money back. They tried to get a 3rd party to pick it up.

Shortly after that, Nick messaged them that he’d still likely play the main event but wanted a higher make up (1.7). That same day, he sent them a picture of the $5k 6max receipt. The staking group was confused and asked if they still had action. He said yes to the $5k but unsure about the ME.

On July 1st, Nick contacted the staking group and said their action was cancelled. On July 4th Nick played the Main and bagged, and on July 5th tried to return $1,200.

It’s unclear if they accepted it or not, but I assume they didn’t. Once he finished 7th, they filed the lawsuit. Caesars had already paid Nick but they cancelled his check. Nick was made aware of the lawsuit several days later when he tried to cash out from another event and Caesar’s wouldn’t let him.

Andrew Lauer is claiming that he hit a royal flush at MGM Springfield, was entitled to a $500 bonus due to a poker room promo for hitting 2-card royals, and then they refused to give him the $500 because his ID was in his car.

When he offered to go get the ID out of the car, they told him that it didn't matter, and that he already forfeited the $500 because he didn't have the ID on his person at the time he hit.

This is complete BS (the ruling, not the story).

Also, he claims that a casino employee agreed to give him some comp points in lieu of this, but when he went to use the comp points at dinner, he found he had none.

This attractive fellow, pictured above with Charles Oakley, luckboxed into $30 million in the early 2000s, thanks to his role in distributing the highly successful Grand Theft Auto series.

In the late '90s, he was president of the video game company "Jack of All Games", which was sold to Take Two Interactive in 1998. The sale netted Alexander $30 million, and he stayed on to help distribute Grand Theft Auto that year, but in 1999, he was fired for unknown reasons.

In the years following, he shot off a lot of his net worth via crazy spending and gambling. At one point, he bragged about a 2004 run-up in Vegas where he won $7.8 million at the Golden Nugget.

"But how much did he lose?"

Exactly.

When he got divorced in 2006 after a marriage of 17 years, he claimed to be broke, but perhaps that was just creative accounting to avoid giving his ex-wife anything.

Regardless, he did actually show signs of being busto. In 2007, for example, he supposedly took a loan for $200,000 while at the craps table from a friend, and never paid it back.

Patrik Antonius claims that Alexander owes him $700,000, perhaps loaned to him during a high stakes poker game.

What really got Robert into hot water was his new company, Kizzang, founded in 2013.

Kizzang is a promotional provider of free to play sweepstakes, slots and sports contests with real cash rewards.

Kizzang is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Robert Alexander is the Founder & CEO of Kizzang. Kizzang's latest funding round was a Equity for $770K on Feb 2013.

However, according to the SEC, Kizzang never had any real source of revenue, and Alexander was simply embezzling the funding for personal use.

Reportedly he raised about $9 million total from 53 different investors, and also lied about having created Grand Theft Auto.

He was arrested on February 7, 2019.

Allegations in the criminal case claim that he embezzled $404,000 for use in casinos, and $579,000 for credit card bills. He allegedly embezzled another $400,000 for other purposes, including for buying his daughter a car.

Those that know him are claiming he's basically another Erick Lindgren -- someone who didn't mean to cheat anyone permanently, and felt that another "hot streak" or other windfall of money would rescue him. I guess this could also be named the "Full Tilt defense", because that was what the owners of Full Tilt felt when they stole player money.

He loved to take photos with pretty girls. Here's one of them:

I have to imagine that some of this money was blown on hookers and/or gold diggers.

Here's a good article about him from the NY Post, of all places: https://nypost.com/2019/07/13/how-gr...-fortune-away/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19301-Robert-Alexander-The-latest-gambler-to-have-embezzled-to-keep-in-action-(plus-he-owes-Antonius!)Two scumbags allegedly scam Kevin Roster (aka Kevin Racks), who is dying of terminal cancerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19280-Two-scumbags-allegedly-scam-Kevin-Roster-(aka-Kevin-Racks)-who-is-dying-of-terminal-cancer&goto=newpost
Sat, 13 Jul 2019 09:44:42 GMTPoker people have hit a new low.

He tried to load up his account on ACR in exchange for Cash App money, and this is what happened:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Racks

Thanks for the help guys. Unfortunately got robbed by one guy for $500 and also $150 by @pokerkingdomjr so it was a pretty expensive lesson to load my account. Fuck cash app for not verifying back of my ID too. Rob a dying man, hope y’all diagf #acrscam #pokerscammers

Pokerkingdomjr is named Michael Thompson on cash app. $ihatemoneybro fwiw

Who would steal from a guy with terminal cancer?
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19280-Two-scumbags-allegedly-scam-Kevin-Roster-(aka-Kevin-Racks)-who-is-dying-of-terminal-cancerDude embezzled $22M from company to enter poker tourneyshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19272-Dude-embezzled-22M-from-company-to-enter-poker-tourneys&goto=newpost
Fri, 12 Jul 2019 04:39:57 GMThttp://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-dennis-blieden-stylehaul-indicted-20190711-story.html
Smart guy, brilliant end game.http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...711-story.html

Smart guy, brilliant end game.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAvon Barksdalehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19272-Dude-embezzled-22M-from-company-to-enter-poker-tourneyshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19171-Agua-Caliente-Casino-Palm-Springs-stole-money-from-me-amp-other-players&goto=newpost
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 08:09:27 GMTHey everybody. I'm a Pokerfraudalert Radio listener and have a story where I was the victim of a theft. The theft was not by a mugger or a burglar, but rather the Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs, California!

Agua Caliente has been advertising a crazy good promotion where you get an extra $500 for every handpay jackpot you hit.

For those of you who don't know what that means, whenever you press a button on a machine and end up with $1200 or more ahead from that button press, federal law requires that the machine lock up and they pay you by hand, issuing you a W2-G tax form for it. This is true for all casinos in the US.

An extra $500 on a handpay is already sweet, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that if you play high limit machines, handpays will occur regularly, thus netting you a cool $500 each time!

Let me give you an example.

At video poker, if you play $1/credit, you will only get a handpay rarely. You'd need to either hit a royal flush ($4000), or something like quad aces with a 2/3/4 kicker ($2000) on Double Double Bonus. Since these are very rare hands, you would hardly get any handpays (if any), thus making this promotion not worth very much.

But let's say you play $10/credit. Then you would get a handpay every time you got quads ($1250) or better, making this promotion worth much more!

Now let's say you played $50/credit! You'd be getting a handpay every time you got a flush ($1500) or better, making this very frequent!

Therefore the strategy for this promotion is incredibly simple. Play big, hit jackpots frequently, keep collecting $500 extra each time, profit!

I live in San Diego, so the drive isn't too bad to Palm Springs. 150 miles and I'm there.

I got there and clarified with the desk that the promo is really as it appears to be on the website. They said yes. For every handpay, no matter how many I hit, they will give me an extra $500. They did tell me video poker was not included in the jackpot promo, which was annoying, but whatever. Notice it's not on the website about that. I went to high limit slots.

I loaded up some money in the machine and lost a few thousand. No big deal, that's the variance of something like this.

Finally I hit a jackpot for about $1600, meaning I was due about $2100 after the promo. They paid me, and I was close to even again. I kept playing, with the confidence that I would probably walk out a good deal ahead, barring some very bad luck.

Then I hit another jackpot for $2200 or so. That meant I was due $2700. Instead of paying me, they told me I was being kicked out of the casino!

After feigning ignorance and claiming I was just a high limit player who heard this was a cool promo, they said they would let me cash out what was already in the machine, but were still refusing to pay the jackpot! Not only were they screwing me out of the $500 promo, but they were refusing to pay the jackpot I rightfully won!!!! This would be super duper illegal in Nevada or any other state-regulated casino in the US!

They cashed my ticket, threw me out, and told me I would be arrested if I came back.

I started asking around among friends and acquaintances in the gambling community, and found out some people got fucked even worse than I did.

A few people were thrown out upon hitting a jackpot and were not paid the jackpot OR allowed to cash out their tickets! One guy had like $30k in tickets, and they confiscated them.

In all my years in playing casinos, I've never seen anything like this. Every single casino I've known has always paid out all rightfully hit jackpots and honored all tickets, aside from certain cases where the person was already banned prior to playing. None of these people were banned prior to playing, yet a lot of jackpots were denied and a lot of tickets were confiscated and/or not allowed to be cashed!

They only stole $2200 from me ($2700 if you count the promo money I expected), but that's nothing compared to what happened to some others.

You would think after all this, they would stop the promo, but go take a look at the website! It's still going!

They are just kicking out anyone whom they suspect is there to take advantage of it, and confiscating both their jackpot and their tickets in most cases.

Not only is this really really unethical, but nobody is even trying to cheat or get away with shenanigans here. The promo says you get $500 every handpay during those hours on Wednesday, and all we did was play higher so handpays would come more often! Duh! Even amateur gamblers should be able to figure out that's the best move.

Unfortunately since it's an Indian casino, they are considered on sovereign land, and I cannot touch them legally. Can't sue them, can't complain to the state, nothing. They can just steal and get away with it. Motherfuckers.

Well that's all, just wanted to warn everyone to stay away from Agua Caliente in Palm Springs!

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessBear Necessitieshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19171-Agua-Caliente-Casino-Palm-Springs-stole-money-from-me-amp-other-playershttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19116-Looks-like-Fofty-isn-t-the-only-one-Randall-Emmett-owed&goto=newpost
Thu, 06 Jun 2019 13:17:54 GMTYet, he still shows his face at the W.S.O.P.
1136489443999698944Yet, he still shows his face at the W.S.O.P.

My questions for Clayton (which he can respond either here or on Twitter):

1) Key card locks usually have a log of when they were accessed. Did they show any cards accessing the room at the time the stuff was stolen?

2) You said they claimed you left the door "unlocked". What do they mean by that? Those doors lock automatically. What was their response when you (presumably) brought that up to them?

3) Have you spoken yet to the hotel manager about the matter?
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19044-Poker-player-Clayton-Fletcher-alleges-his-room-was-burglarized-at-Bally-s-Las-Vegas-amp-hotel-blames-it-on-himPoker player from Oregon had $4 million in assets seized over alleged movie piracy sitehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19034-Poker-player-from-Oregon-had-4-million-in-assets-seized-over-alleged-movie-piracy-site&goto=newpost
Thu, 16 May 2019 07:30:09 GMTHere's the Flushdraw article about it: http://www.flushdraw.net/news/irs-se...-poker-player/

The Flushdraw article won't name him, but Druff said on radio tonight it's Talon White.

He's right, that's who it is.

I attached two government documents, the second of which verifies it's him.

He is 28 years old and finished 14th at the $10k O8 event at the 2018 WSOP, which Druff also played.

Steve Friedlander placed a bet on the Kentucky Derby which became a huge winner when horse Maximum Security was disqualified.

He went to collect and was only given $35k.

Why? Being a "non-parimutuel" location, the bets are capped, and apparently this is allowed. William Hill claimed that they prominently displayed signs informing people of the caps, such as this one:

However, honestly that isn't clearly stating to gamblers what's really going on, and they should simply not take longshot bets which pay way beyond caps.

Friedlander filed a case with the Nevada Gaming Commission, which is still being looked into.

Awful.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19019-Guy-hits-609k-win-at-Kentucky-Derby-through-William-Hill-in-Reno-only-paid-35kNew forum to expose theives and scammers in gambling (mostly Poker)https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19014-New-forum-to-expose-theives-and-scammers-in-gambling-(mostly-Poker)&goto=newpost
Tue, 14 May 2019 09:50:54 GMTIf anybody's interested there's an awesome new group called Black List Busted on Facebook designed to out scammers and thieves.. A lot of the folks being exposed are fraudsters who've charged back deposits to various poker sites (a lot of them the infamous PPPoker sites) but recently the previously mentioned Ray Davis from Real Grinders got screwed hard by an asshole for over $3k as Ray was helping out with deposits on Fox Poker, which is RGs preferred online site (I don't know what kind of deal Ray has going with them don't really care) but apparently somebody claimed to be depositing and never did and rooked Ray for over $3k while the asshole was cashing out from Fox Poker at the same time through one of the other poker site admins relentlessly.. Fraudster claims somehow his wife was responsible which is such a lame ass excuse as its been beaten to death by this point by too many folks.. Oh just blame the wife for the chargebacks.. Yeah right Whatever Mofo.. Anyway just wanted to drop that info if anybody wants to join on FB its an interesting group they do demand proof of folks pulling crap and don't let just random accusations be posted.. (contrary to what some self-righteous ass in RG claimed making excuses and defending the jagoff who committed the fraud claiming anybody who repeated the accusation was opening up to be sued by the fraudster despite clear and convincing evidence of the 3k+ in chargebacks which is hilarious considering said self-righteous ass is supposedly a news reporter and shows his location as being in Venezuela neither of which I doubt is true because nobody with any common sense would be in that country as big as a Charlie Foxtrot as its been)
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessRyback_feed_me_morehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?19014-New-forum-to-expose-theives-and-scammers-in-gambling-(mostly-Poker)Possible cheating going on at The Bike.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18991-Possible-cheating-going-on-at-The-Bike&goto=newpost
Sat, 04 May 2019 04:25:31 GMTSomebody watching the LATB feed saw something tonight which should be very disturbing to many. Even if it’s unintentional it’s clear that there’s is potential for clear cheating by players at the table in a couple of particular seats. The issue is they’ve been using an iPad for a timer at the table which was allowing cards to be seen via reflection potentially as a “shiner”. Here’s the post form FB. (I had forwarded the pic to Todd as I was on my phone at the time but it was too big.. In his defense he thinks this was being overblown but Ill leave this screen capture for people to make their own minds up)

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessftpjesushttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18991-Possible-cheating-going-on-at-The-BikePrime Social (Houston) Poker club raided.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18982-Prime-Social-(Houston)-Poker-club-raided&goto=newpost
Wed, 01 May 2019 16:50:45 GMTI received news that Houston, TX. Largest poker club has been raided with possible FBI involvement. The owner (Greg) has supposedly been arrested. No further details at this time.
This comes 1 day after Bill HB 2669 was voted down in Texas. HB 2669 was a bill introduced to have the Texas based card clubs regulated by a governing authority.
Again, all of this is just speculation and 3rd hand knowledge at this point. Will post any updates as they come in.I received news that Houston, TX. Largest poker club has been raided with possible FBI involvement. The owner (Greg) has supposedly been arrested. No further details at this time.

This comes 1 day after Bill HB 2669 was voted down in Texas. HB 2669 was a bill introduced to have the Texas based card clubs regulated by a governing authority.

Again, all of this is just speculation and 3rd hand knowledge at this point. Will post any updates as they come in.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18982-Prime-Social-(Houston)-Poker-club-raidedBovada : Is there Cheating in Omaha HiLohttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18947-Bovada-Is-there-Cheating-in-Omaha-HiLo&goto=newpost
Fri, 19 Apr 2019 16:39:56 GMTI am new to Bovada , and was wondering what the forum members think of the Omaha ( especially HiLo ) games on this site. It seems to me if a player had access to another players cards at the same table, they would have a huge advantage. Of course this is cheating , and I'm not sure it can be prevented if someone was bent on doing it, i.e. as a form of a job to cheat and make money. What are your thoughts. Should I avoid these games on this site? Is it less so or the same for the Tourneys?
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessPAINLESSWONhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18947-Bovada-Is-there-Cheating-in-Omaha-HiLoCouple Gets Scammed Out of $6,500 in Shady Casino Game in Dominican Republichttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18943-Couple-Gets-Scammed-Out-of-6-500-in-Shady-Casino-Game-in-Dominican-Republic&goto=newpost
Wed, 17 Apr 2019 20:17:38 GMTA gay newfie couple got bilked out of $6500 by flim flam artists at a DR casino in Punta Cana.

Cliffs:
-couple goes into casino
-offered $25 "complimentary" casino chips to play a specific game that looks like complicated roulette
-after playing a while they are told they are one point away from winning a big jackpot
-they continue to play (unbeknownst to them they are now playing on credit)
-they don't hit jackpot (which is actually impossible to win) and they are told by security they owe $1000 (which somehow converts to $6500 CND)
-they are led to ATM by security who bully them into making multiple withdrawals and calls to their bank until they transfer/pay a total of $6500
-they go back to their hotel and complain; hotel manager says they have no recourse because the hotel isn't affiliated with casino; kicks them out of hotel!
-Sunwing (travel company) relocates them to different hotel
-they try going to police station but this is such a common scam it's basically useless

This is a very common gambling scam. As far as I can tell it is a variant of an old con job called "Razzle" (AKA: Razzle-Dazzle, Football, Ten Points Win, Baseball, Mo-Co, Indian Poker, Cajun Bingo)

Someone snapped a photo of the game itself. As you can see it's incredibly complicated which allows for the scam to take place. It's set up so you can never win but it feels like you're close to winning.

On the one hand, they are rubes. On the other hand, you need more people to be open about getting scammed so that stories like these make the news and fewer people will get taken going forward. In fact, Sunwing and other travel companies should advise all travelers in advance about these scams.

The second biggest online poker site, partypoker, has been on a mission to continue proving their worthiness to a growing player base, and their latest announcement could be yet another burst of confidence to their clientele.

In the four-month period between Dec. 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019, partypoker reports confirming and closing 277 "bot" accounts while redistributing $734,852.15 in funds to affected players, according to an April 9 press release from the company. Bot accounts refer to accounts which make use of prohibited poker software like programs designed to play against humans, thus giving players using them an unfair advantage.

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2019/...735k-33852.htm
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18935-partypoker-Closes-277-Bot-Accounts-Returns-734-852-to-Players-in-Four-Month-PeriodLatvian bot on ACR malfunctions heads up in tournament, folds every hand prehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18918-Latvian-bot-on-ACR-malfunctions-heads-up-in-tournament-folds-every-hand-pre&goto=newpost
Wed, 10 Apr 2019 12:31:20 GMTGo to 5:57:00 in this Twitch stream of Eric Collier, and watch: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/407900431
Most egregious is the second-to-last hand, where the bot is virtually all in on the blind, and still folds pre.
In case you think it might just be a horrible fish, look at these stats:
Image: https://i.imgur.com/9GBScEf.jpg
The account, FoxRox, is a big winner on the site.
Supposedly the account has been suspended.Go to 5:57:00 in this Twitch stream of Eric Collier, and watch: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/407900431

Most egregious is the second-to-last hand, where the bot is virtually all in on the blind, and still folds pre.

In case you think it might just be a horrible fish, look at these stats:

The account, FoxRox, is a big winner on the site.

Supposedly the account has been suspended.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18918-Latvian-bot-on-ACR-malfunctions-heads-up-in-tournament-folds-every-hand-preMatusow podcast discussing FTP stuffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18907-Matusow-podcast-discussing-FTP-stuff&goto=newpost
Mon, 08 Apr 2019 01:30:22 GMThttps://themouthpiece.podbean.com/e/the-mouthpiece-with-mike-matusow-episode-1-part-1-the-full-tilt-story-and-special-guest-matt-savage/https://themouthpiece.podbean.com/e/...t-matt-savage/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesssah_24https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18907-Matusow-podcast-discussing-FTP-stuffFemale Poker player kicked out of WSOPC Main Event that she didn’t pay for.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18883-Female-Poker-player-kicked-out-of-WSOPC-Main-Event-that-she-didn’t-pay-for&goto=newpost
Tue, 02 Apr 2019 05:09:35 GMTFemale poker player Catherine “Catrific” Valdes bought into a $400 WSOP Circuit Evemt at Bally’s but was somehow seated in the $1,700 main event. The floor staff realized the mistake a couple hours after she had already been playing and had amassed a 100k chip stack from the original 30k stack and even knocked out another player.

When the floor staff asked her what tournament she bought into, she admitted it was the $400 tournament and that she realized “after some time” that she was in the wrong tournament but didn’t know what to do, so she kept quiet.

She then went on to make a YouTube video that has since been deleted stating that she’s “new” to poker and didn’t realize the complexity of the mistake, but then changed direction and started complaining about how she felt like she was a victim because the floor staff wasn’t nice to her. Lmao.

Once she posted the YouTube video, it got the attention of some well known pros who roasted her and called her out on her bullshit lies.

She eventually made her twitter account private, and has since deleted the YouTube video.

Some Key things in the video.

- She bought into the $400 tournament that started at 4pm. The $400 was a 15k starting stack and she immediately thought something was strange when she was given 30k. She also thought it was strange the blinds were at 250/500 already. She asked the dealer if the 30k starting stack was right and he said yes.

- It wasn’t until hours later that she realized the mistake that she was in the main, because she looked at the tournament clock

- She texted a friend (not named) who is in poker and asked what she should do. They told her to continue to play and if she cashed, they’d deduct the $1.3k she didn’t pay from her winnings (LOL)

- She stated that after being kicked out of the main, the floor staff said she could still sit down in the original tournament she bought into but she decided against it because the blinds were too big. I assume she got her $400 BI back.

The some other facts started to come out.

Apparently her boyfriend, who has not been named afaik, had busted from the exact seat she was put in prior to a break, she had to of known her boyfriend was in the main. This was talked about immediately after she had sat down.

Pro Jesse Cohen was at her table and posted this.

Tons of people are discussing this on twitter, and most are being pretty harsh (rightfully so IMO)

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18883-Female-Poker-player-kicked-out-of-WSOPC-Main-Event-that-she-didn’t-pay-forAnother PokerKing Scandel brewing??https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18859-Another-PokerKing-Scandel-brewing&goto=newpost
Mon, 25 Mar 2019 02:47:41 GMTSurprised nobody has posted this yet.. Apparently theres a huge issue with PokerKingASIA on going and being discussed over on Mallmutts Domain of four.. Out of the blue suddenly tons of accounts were frozen and locked down a few weeks ago.. PKA claims they are running a massive investigation into Agents installing bot players and collusion on going involving several large agent player pools. The claim now is those proven innocent will be refunded but will need to get new accounts through another agent as they plan to ban every account under the agents that have been implicated. Seems like a major Clusterfuck to me..
Heres a link to the thread.. Might be an interesting topic for PFA radio next week.. Some were orginally thinking this was a massive cash grab and run by the owners but it seems maybe not so much as theres a couple of well known folks involved in the security review assisting PKA.. (John Andreas and Nick Petrangelo)
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/pokerking-asia-frozen-accounts-1738982/Surprised nobody has posted this yet.. Apparently theres a huge issue with PokerKingASIA on going and being discussed over on Mallmutts Domain of four.. Out of the blue suddenly tons of accounts were frozen and locked down a few weeks ago.. PKA claims they are running a massive investigation into Agents installing bot players and collusion on going involving several large agent player pools. The claim now is those proven innocent will be refunded but will need to get new accounts through another agent as they plan to ban every account under the agents that have been implicated. Seems like a major Clusterfuck to me..

Heres a link to the thread.. Might be an interesting topic for PFA radio next week.. Some were orginally thinking this was a massive cash grab and run by the owners but it seems maybe not so much as theres a couple of well known folks involved in the security review assisting PKA.. (John Andreas and Nick Petrangelo)

Here is 24-year-old Shannon Soroka, who is apparently not doing very well in poker::

He's from New Jersey.

He decided to go after successful pro Darren Elias, who most recently won $473k by finishing 3rd at the LAPC Main Event this month.

Ths plan was to burst into Elias' house and demand him to hand over cash at gunpoint. He went there on Friday night (March 15) to do this.

However, Elias and his wife were out at the time, and had a 19-year-old babysitter watching their 2-year-old.

Not to be deterred, Soroka held the babysitter at gunpoint and demanded to know where the money was kept.

The babysitter didn't know this, so he finally locked her in an upstairs bathroom and ran off.

It's not clear how Soroka was identified as the robber.

He was charged with robbery, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, mischief, and making terrorsitic threats.

By coincidence, this robbery occurred on the same date as the Bellagio robbery, where career criminal Michael Cohen was shot dead after shooting at police at Bellagio's north valet.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18851-Broke-poker-player-arrested-for-robbing-house-of-successful-pro-Darren-EliasJessica Dawley accuses John Lee of PayPal chargeback scamhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18806-Jessica-Dawley-accuses-John-Lee-of-PayPal-chargeback-scam&goto=newpost
Thu, 14 Mar 2019 17:46:16 GMTOne tried-and-true scam which has existed for years in the poker community involves PayPal chargebacks.

It goes as follows:

1) Scammer asks victim to trade cash for PayPal. Sometimes there is extra money involved in the offer, such as "$1100 PayPal for $1000 cash", in order to entice the victim to do it.

2) Scammer offers to send the PayPal money first, and does so.

3) Victim sees the money has been received at their PayPal account, and gives the scammer cash.

Unfortunately, this is more effective than you might think. You can call PayPal and complain, and they might close the scammer's account, but they will rarely refund your money. This is because there is no protection built into the "friends and family" (no fee) transfers, so PayPal doesn't give a shit. In fact, PayPal usually defers to the scammer's bank for guidance. If the scammer claims "fraud" to his bank, and the bank believes him (which they usually do without much investigation), the bank labels it as fraud, and PayPal trusts that determination.

Presumably, this is because the bank actually takes the money from PayPal, so the only way they can recover it is to take it from either the scammer or the victim. If the scammer's account is empty (which is almost always is), they take it from the victim.

Anyway, this allegedly happened recently, as poker pro Jessica Dawley claims that fairly unknown player John Lee pulled this scam on her.

In order to avoid this happening to you, do not EVER trade PayPal for cash, unless you know and trust the person really well!
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18806-Jessica-Dawley-accuses-John-Lee-of-PayPal-chargeback-scamCalifornian Vinh Dao caught by New Jersey legalized poker sites, faking his locationhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18805-Californian-Vinh-Dao-caught-by-New-Jersey-legalized-poker-sites-faking-his-location&goto=newpost
Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:34:41 GMTWe have long wondered what would happen to someone caught playing the legalized online poker sites from a different state.

Would their money just be forfeited? Would they be arrested?

Seems like we got our answer -- at least in New Jersey.

Vinh Dao, an unknown poker player from California, was playing on the New Jersey sites in 2014, and was caught. He had $92,000 in his various accounts, and was allowed to keep $2500 of it in exchange for "cooperation" and agreement to forfeit the funds.

It is possible that the $2500 was returned in exchange for him explaining how he did it.

While this is a 2014 matter, note that the NJ DGE document is dated January 2019, as it apparently took this long to come to this decision and agreement. Prior to that, the matter was under seal and unknown to the public.

Despite the fact that the $90k was won from other poker players, it is not being returned to them. The respective online casinos are keeping it, which shouldn't be allowed, but apparently is -- at least in New Jersey.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18805-Californian-Vinh-Dao-caught-by-New-Jersey-legalized-poker-sites-faking-his-locationDanielle Andersen (dmoongirl) accuses Kirsten Olieberg of scamming herhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18804-Danielle-Andersen-(dmoongirl)-accuses-Kirsten-Olieberg-of-scamming-her&goto=newpost
Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:47:17 GMTDanielle "dmoongirl" Andersen has a stellar reputation in the poker world, and is very well liked. I don't know her personally, but everyone in poker seems to respect her.

She also rarely gets involved in drama.

However, she has recently called out fairly unknown Florida poker pro Kirsten Olieberg for scamming her out of 2k.

I feel compelled to post here. There seems to be a thread identically named on 2+2, in which the moderators their are removing select messages from the thread.
I truly hope expression of opinions won't be limited here.

TLDR of the case: A small group of twister (= spin and goes on ipoker) players are coercing Betfair/Coral to ban and suspend new regulars that want to grind twisters. They do this in order to protect their immense share of winnings through rakeback and rake races. Many people believe the scam has been going on for years, and that Betfair and Coral are actually in on it, and not being coerced.

If you check the difference backups (just copy paste the content, save into a file with the .html extension, and open in a browser), you will see multiple people noticing the deletion and edition of posts.

The mods of 2+2 are concerned with respecting the users will to have their posts deleted, and therefore also deleted links to my HTML Backups. One must wonder if it is to respect the user's decision to have his posts deleted, or maybe another less legitimate option. I personally believe the mods are doing their work, but it doesn't answer the question as to why the users had/wanted their post removed. People speculate they negociated or talked to the "cartel" (that is what people seem call the group of players getting regulars banned in order to profit from rakeback).

I would like to request that the information presented here is to be untampered with so the community can inspect this issue and get clarity on who is responsible and whether or not the claims of fraud are true.

Thank you,
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessSirDehihttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18748-Suspected-fraud-at-Betfair-and-Coral-PokerJeff Boski takes double payment from a tournament cash (Update: He was BANNED by YouTube on May 10, 2020)https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18729-Jeff-Boski-takes-double-payment-from-a-tournament-cash-(Update-He-was-BANNED-by-YouTube-on-May-10-2020)&goto=newpost
Wed, 27 Feb 2019 01:27:59 GMThttps://youtu.be/cVj-RF4gako
(Note on 5/10/2020: Video is gone because his channel is deleted.)
Any thoughts? Notice he never says he got double paid, he also doesn’t deny the accusations.

(Note on 5/10/2020: Video is gone because his channel is deleted.)

Any thoughts? Notice he never says he got double paid, he also doesn’t deny the accusations.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDrawingdeadhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18729-Jeff-Boski-takes-double-payment-from-a-tournament-cash-(Update-He-was-BANNED-by-YouTube-on-May-10-2020)https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18702-Idiot-poker-player-swipes-purse-in-full-view-of-Harrah-s-Atlantic-City-camera&goto=newpost
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 09:16:28 GMT32-year-old Nicole Glantz, an Atlantic City poker player, turned her back for "10 seconds" at the Harrah's AC poker room, only to turn back around to find her purse missing.

She posted this to RealGrinders on Facebook:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicole Glantz

Take a look a what a dickless man looks like... stealing my purse right under the eyes in sky (I turned my back for TEN sec) AND SITS BACK DOWN AND CONT TO PLAY POKER.
Dumbass.....
Needless to say, he has five crisp one hundred dollar bills in his pocket.
He an east coast loosing player, I’ve seen him before, but he’s a no one and now banned at all Harrahs properties.
...dumbass sits back down.... ����*♀️
You should have seen him whining to the cop... “I swear I didn’t do it...” uh, you’re on camera dude...
dudes in a holding cell right now in Atlantic City. What a little bitch, seriously

She reported him to security, who checked the cameras, and found he did indeed swipe the purse.

Unfortunately for her, he walked out of the building, searched the purse, pocketed $500 he found in it (which were all new $100 bills), and tossed the purse somewhere.

He then returned to the poker room, was detained by security, and then arrested.

She made videos berating him, and you can see them in the next post below.

In one of the videos, as he sat in handcuffs, she offered to drop the charges if he revealed where the purse was, but he sat silent, only responding to the officer.

They did return the $500 in his pocket to her, but she's out the purse itself and the remaining contents of it. I'm guessing he threw it in the trash.

Here's the complaint form she filled out for the police, which contained some insults which probably weren't wise to include:

Oddly, they didn't give her his name. I told her to call the police department and get that information.

Here's a picture of the alleged thief:

Here is Nicole Glantz, in case you're wondering:

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18702-Idiot-poker-player-swipes-purse-in-full-view-of-Harrah-s-Atlantic-City-cameraBryn Kenney buys a tournament win at Aussie Millionshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18668-Bryn-Kenney-buys-a-tournament-win-at-Aussie-Millions&goto=newpost
Thu, 14 Feb 2019 01:03:29 GMTBryn Kenney is an accomplished high limit tournament player, but that didn't stop him from resorting to buying a title at the Aussie Millions.

Here's part of the report from calvinayre.com:

Quote:

Hinrichsen – 15,365,000
Kenney – 4,870,000
Del Vecchio – 4,830,000

With three players left, Del Vecchio took the chip lead when his quad sixes got maximum value from Hinrichsen, who was unfortunate enough to river a straight. Then Kenney then scrapped and scraped his way into a chip lead that would change hands over the next hundred hands, until the three sat down and negotiated a deal, turning the conclusion of the most prestigious tournament in the Southern Hemisphere into a damp squib.

Kenney wouldn’t budge.

He wanted the win.

The pair gave it to him.

The $923,269 that Kenney collected means he’s now earned $26,623,758 in live tournament earnings, good enough for a ninth place finish. Dan Smith drops out of the Top 10, and Phil Ivey takes tenth – only another $19m to go, Bryn.

Most notably, Kenney had fewer than 20% of the chips 3-handed, AND he didn't knock out a single person at the final table, yet was awarded both the title and the most prize money, just slightly more than #2.

I always felt that this form of "deal making" should never be allowed, and that the winner always should have the highest amount of chips when play ends.

On a much smaller stage and a long time ago, I was at a final table where this happened, though I was out of the tournament by that point. In that case, Liz Lieu bought a title when holding 40% of the chips heads up, because the title was important to getting sponsorships, and her opponent was an unknown software engineer from northern CA, and just wanted the money. I called that one out, both because it bothered me and because Lieu had mistreated me a few weeks prior at a cash game.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18668-Bryn-Kenney-buys-a-tournament-win-at-Aussie-MillionsIt just keeps getting worse for Phil Iveyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18644-It-just-keeps-getting-worse-for-Phil-Ivey&goto=newpost
Wed, 06 Feb 2019 23:53:18 GMThttps://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/23617-borgata-casino-wins-motion-to-track-down-poker-pro-phil-ivey-s-assets-in-nevada
Ruh Roe!https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-new...sets-in-nevada

This Chris Matters is a reg of the MGM National Harbor/MD Live area and has claimed another victim. This time I saw this post on my friend and poker pro Jody Fayant's FB page. I made a few calls and it seems as if this guy owes money in a few sportsbetting circles. He usually has some big claims of money earnerd/tied up in escrow from Real Estate investments or deals that are closing.

Beware folks.

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessfoatiehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18638-quot-Multi-Millionaire-quot-Chris-Matters-scams-poker-player-out-of-20-000suited Queens at Borgatahttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18575-suited-Queens-at-Borgata&goto=newpost
Fri, 25 Jan 2019 15:42:08 GMTHearing stories that at the Borgata WPO $2M opening event last week, player tabled suited QQ (both spades). Details are sketchy; apparently not just a dealer error; an arrest was made (not the player with QQ). Anybody have more info??Hearing stories that at the Borgata WPO $2M opening event last week, player tabled suited QQ (both spades). Details are sketchy; apparently not just a dealer error; an arrest was made (not the player with QQ). Anybody have more info??
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessavalon88https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18575-suited-Queens-at-Borgatahttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18562-Disgraced-Epic-Poker-head-amp-former-WSOP-Commissioner-Jeffrey-Pollack-named-President-of-XFL&goto=newpost
Tue, 22 Jan 2019 18:57:15 GMTRemember Jeffrey Pollack?

He presided over some pretty embarrassing times at the WSOP, including the "poker peek" playing card debacle (with his signature on the back of the cards) and the dangerous "poker tent" which blew down in the Vegas summer wind. Also, money was stolen from the prizepool of rebuy tournaments under his watch ("allegedly").

But that doesn't compared to the fail and shady behavior he and Annie Duke engaged in with their Epic Poker League in 2011. Players were promised a $1,000,000 freeroll if they finished in the top 27 spots on the leaderboard. Epic folded early, and they stiffed everyone on the freeroll. Despite this, Annie and Jeffrey still took home salaries well over $300,000.

A few people asked Eli about accusations regarding bad poker debts and scamming, and Eli denied everything. "I pay my debts", said Eli several times in the thread.

People reluctantly accepted these answers, until "cts" -- aka Cole South -- showed up in the thread and posted this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by cts

I really don't like to get involved in public drama, but I can't stay on the sidelines when I see something like this.

Eli borrowed $100k from me during a cash game in Bobby's Room on July 15th 2010, toward the end of a long summer where we played a ton against each other and generally got along very well. At the end of the session, one of the most seasoned high stakes Vegas regs pulled me aside and warned me what I did wasn't a good idea, and not to do it again.

We didn't cross paths my final few days in Vegas that summer. Over the course of the next year, he was responsive and widdled down the debt from $100k to $40k (a few grand at a time, via Full Tilt transfer), which he still owes me. By summer 2011, he had stopped making payments but was still responsive with plenty of reasons why he couldn't.

Since then, he's been basically nonresponsive. I've sent him messages every now and then when he's hit a big tournament score and he's ignored them. The only time I got a response was when we were both in Vegas playing the same tournament, and he asked me not to make a public scene about it. I still have screen shots of texts and other evidence, but would like to give him a chance to respond before sharing more.

Now Mason Malmuth is taking heat for failing to do his due diligence regarding Eli, especially since the book apparently does not honestly address the scamming/owing money rumors, despite being a supposed tell-all autobiography.

Some are pressuring Mason to drop Eli's book unless Eli agrees to have his share of the profits diverted directly to Cole South.

Mat Sklansky showed up briefly and posted this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat Sklansky

Piping in. If a mistake was made here, it was a mistake. I won't have anything further to say on the matter until we have more information and that will clearly take time.

Mason claims that he didn't know about the Cole South debt at the time the agreement to publish was made (which I agree), but it seems unlikely that Mason didn't know that there were many stories like this about Eli, including ones published all over Mason's own forum.

Guy wins 3rd in the contest for 250,000. He was in first place before the last game of the tourney, saying he was planning to bet his whole balance on the Saints-Eagles Under 53 which won handily. It would have won him $1 Million. But since his previous bet didn't grade before kickoff (he was one of several contest entries who couldn't get anything down because his balance was $0.01 before the final game started), he couldn't do it.

It's as if the digital pen didn't work on Final Jeopardy where you went all in and would have won if Alex Trebek could see your (to him) invisible scribblings.

So this should-be win of $1 Milly becomes a $250K win, possibly because of not-up-to snuff technology on Draft Kings' back end.

:facepalm

Bad beat of bad beats.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessForum Warshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18516-Guy-loses-750-000-as-DraftKings-slow-grade-of-only-some-bets-causes-him-to-miss-winning-Inaugural-NFL-Championship-ContestHQ Trivia players claiming they are not getting their winningshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18487-HQ-Trivia-players-claiming-they-are-not-getting-their-winnings&goto=newpost
Sun, 06 Jan 2019 18:26:07 GMTFor months, players in HQ Trivia, a trivia app that offers cash prizes, say they have been having issues getting their money.

Quote:

HQ Trivia is basically Bar Trivia: The App. Twice a day, every day, there’s a live trivia show, hosted on the app, that has a pool of cash that goes out to the winners. HQ Trivia players also have to deal with a rising epidemic of cheating, with users joining Discord servers to discuss answers with other players, or even writing bots that will pick the correct answers. The prevalence of cheating first became clear last March when one of the final players in a $25,000 “winner takes all” game was booted for cheating.

Cheating isn’t the only rampant problem in HQ, though. Since at least October of last year, players have been having problems cashing out their winnings. HQ allows you to cash out your winnings to PayPal. There used to be a $20 limit, but that was removed early last year, meaning theoretically players can cash out at any time. A lot of players have been saying that their cash out button is still grayed out, meaning they can’t tap it and receive their winnings.

https://kotaku.com/hq-trivia-doesnt-...ium=Socialflow
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18487-HQ-Trivia-players-claiming-they-are-not-getting-their-winnings5Dimes Poker is stealing 54 thousand dollars from mehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18481-5Dimes-Poker-is-stealing-54-thousand-dollars-from-me&goto=newpost
Sat, 05 Jan 2019 05:44:46 GMTI signed up on 5Dimes 3 years ago, after a poker friend said he plays there and it was an "ok" site. I did a little research and saw they had high ratings as a sportsbook. Also I was not too concerned as I was playing recreationally.

I was told by customer service that I could play the weekly poker freeroll and was good to go. I took 3rd? in the first one I played. I used those winnings to play real money tables sporadically over the next three years building up my bankroll to about 800 dollar. I probably paid a couple thousand in rake over that period. Last Friday I was playing a NL25 badbeat jackpot table, and the unthinkable happened. My quad eights were rivered by a straight flush. I was in shock as I am a working stiff and this is more money than I make in a year. After the win all I thought about was paying off credit cards and paying down a good chunk of our mortgage.

For 5 days there was no issue. And then I got home from working overtime on New Years Day to find the funds confiscated. They tried to say that it was because I did not deposit. I specifically asked about this when signing up and carefully read the terms of service. They did not argue that I could not play free rolls, but switched to line in the TOS that I could not take advantage of the site. I did not even play many freerolls after that because it is after my bedtime, and I had built a bankroll on cash tables.

Do not play this site because I have now dug deeper and am finding out that they like to confiscate funds when someone wins a lot of money.

Let me state that I have never done anything against the terms of service, nor have they said I have. (besides taking advantage of them by playing a free roll they told me I could play!) They let me continue to play for three years.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessPablohttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18481-5Dimes-Poker-is-stealing-54-thousand-dollars-from-mehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18475-PP-Poker-Individuals-running-quot-clubs-quot-on-an-app-where-they-hold-all-the-money-what-could-go-wrong-(Adnan-Mohammad-scam)&goto=newpost
Thu, 03 Jan 2019 12:35:36 GMTPP Poker is an app which has been growing in popularity in 2018 (and now 2019).

In short, people start "clubs" on there, which act as virtual private games. The owner of each "club" handles the money deposited/withdrawn from the game, and it's basically a way to play online poker in the US, even if you don't want to deal with ACR/Bovada/whatever.

The manager of the PPP club pays some sort of monthly fee to PPP, and then there's some split of the rake collected (not sure of the exact split percentages).

This is totally illegal in the US, and people could go to prison if caught running a PPP club for real money, but it's no riskier than running an illegal brick-and-mortar home game.

Would I ever consider running one? Fuck no.

Of course, the big flaw is that the money is being held/handled by a third party you can't necessarily trust. And there's been a number of stories thus far of people being ripped off by managers of PPP clubs.

According to a thread on 2+2, a pretty big ripoff has occurred on one of the PPP clubs.

Adnan Mohammad, aka "NYPokerKing", a trustworthy-sounding screen name if I ever heard one, is accused of stealing over $100,000 from players on his PPP club.

The evidence in the 2+2 thread suggests that Adnan basically ran a ponzi scheme, pocketing all of the money on deposit, and then using new deposits to pay requested cashouts. Reportedly he would pay the most active rakers at the moment, figuring that they were the ones he wanted to keep most happy. However, even they were paid in a trickle. One person on 2+2 reported that it took 10 payouts just to get paid $3000!

Two people were chronicled in the thread to have lost over $40k and $20k, respectively.

Others chimed in, and apparently Adnan looks like he's not paying anyone unless new deposits come in, and then he forwards those to existing players, based upon their current rake generating activity.

Adnan Mohammad is a fine gentleman who was convicted of grand larceny in 2013, but I'm sure it was all just a huge misunderstanding, and he's a salt-of-the-earth character.

There was another PPP scandal based out of Houston last year, and I've heard of plenty of others.

Best to stay off that entire app.

In fact, even if your PPP club is being managed by someone solvent and trustworthy, there's still the matters of game security, which basically you have no reason at all to trust.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18475-PP-Poker-Individuals-running-quot-clubs-quot-on-an-app-where-they-hold-all-the-money-what-could-go-wrong-(Adnan-Mohammad-scam)Is RealGrinders group harboring a welcher and being protected by group Admin??https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18473-Is-RealGrinders-group-harboring-a-welcher-and-being-protected-by-group-Admin&goto=newpost
Thu, 03 Jan 2019 01:02:21 GMTThis was recently brought to my attention and as Todd is a member of the group same as myself and I believe a few others. If the accusation that RG admin that Raymond Davis, Terri King or others are covering up for this clown is ridiculously unacceptable. Sadly I fear it maybe true as several people have claimed to have been muted by admin and posts deleted about the person in question.

“**Admin Endorsed**

I’d like to point out a “Real.... Poser” and a “Real... Fraud”. It’s Daniel Parshall Aka “Poker for Breakfast”. I asked him for a lousy $100 payment towards $4,350 that he owes and the little Punk BLOCKED me.

He is the the biggest poser on the poker forums and poker groups on FB. Unfortunately for him, this group DOES NOT take kindly to Welchers. He owes others smaller, but still significant amounts. He’s a total fraud. While “other” poker pages will protect him as a poser... thank god James Placek has super strong ETHICS. I caught him playing online and confronted him, That platform (力) helped him out by harboring him and they MUTED me. Lol.”

Additional: post I made on RG inquiring innocuously about the accusation not naming names or pointing fingers and it was killed by Admin under 5mins. Just makes this more likely unfortunately.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessftpjesushttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18473-Is-RealGrinders-group-harboring-a-welcher-and-being-protected-by-group-AdminBovada payment processor steals from me a year laterhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18405-Bovada-payment-processor-steals-from-me-a-year-later&goto=newpost
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 12:17:14 GMTHere's a credit card I rarely use, but bought in twice to Bovada in December 2017:

And while I haven't touched the card since then, look what just popped up:

I didn't make this charge. Notice that it's small -- either as a test charge, or because they know they're more likely to get away with it (more likely the latter).

Bovada itself did not do the stealing, by the way. It's their shady Chinese payment processor.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18405-Bovada-payment-processor-steals-from-me-a-year-laterNuns embezzled $500,000 from a Catholic school in California in order to gamble in Vegashttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18374-Nuns-embezzled-500-000-from-a-Catholic-school-in-California-in-order-to-gamble-in-Vegas&goto=newpost
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 13:46:48 GMThttps://nypost.com/2018/12/11/nuns-stole-500k-from-catholic-school-to-gamble-in-vegas-officials/
Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, the school principal for 28 years, and Sister Lana Chang, a teacher at the school for 20 years, stole $500,000 from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, CA.
The purpose?
They were degenerate gamblers.
The money was stolen over a period of about 10 years.
The school has declined to press charges, so they may not even see any criminal penalties over this.
Image: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2018/12/11/TELEMMGLPICT000183370520_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqAdw0VrjqLWSqJHfZ45Ae0cojHqa2Q4TcJA5isZ8nj1M.jpeg?imwidth=1240
The one on the right definitely looks like a typical older Asian female gambler.
Torrance is a suburb of Los Angeles. I grew up very close to there.https://nypost.com/2018/12/11/nuns-s...gas-officials/

Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, the school principal for 28 years, and Sister Lana Chang, a teacher at the school for 20 years, stole $500,000 from St. James Catholic School in Torrance, CA.

The purpose?

They were degenerate gamblers.

The money was stolen over a period of about 10 years.

The school has declined to press charges, so they may not even see any criminal penalties over this.

The one on the right definitely looks like a typical older Asian female gambler.

Torrance is a suburb of Los Angeles. I grew up very close to there.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18374-Nuns-embezzled-500-000-from-a-Catholic-school-in-California-in-order-to-gamble-in-Vegashttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18332-FBI-amp-IRS-raid-home-of-Atlantic-City-Mayor-Frank-Gilliam&goto=newpost
Tue, 04 Dec 2018 10:25:06 GMT

Quote:

The F.B.I. raid on Mr. Gilliam’s home, however, is a reminder of the long history of criminal behavior among some of Atlantic City’s top public officials.

Robert W. Levy, who was elected mayor in 2006, disappeared in 2007 amid rumors of a pending federal investigation into his military record and benefits. He was found to have checked into an addiction and rehabilitation facility in central New Jersey, and later admitted in court to falsifying his military records to receive veterans benefits.

In 1991, James L. Usry, who had been mayor for six years and was Atlantic City’s first elected African-American mayor, pleaded guilty to campaign contribution violations after prosecutors accused of him accepting $6,000 in cash and a $500 check in exchange for supporting an ordinance that would have benefited a business owned by the donor. Mr. Usry and four city councilmen were indicted.

And in 1984, Michael J. Matthews, who had been elected mayor in 1982, was charged with extortion, bribery and conspiracy as part of a wide-ranging sting operation against organized crime. Federal authorities said he maintained a close relationship with Nicodemo “Little Nicky” Scarfo, an infamous organized crime leader, that predated Mr. Matthews’s election as mayor. Mr. Matthews pleaded guilty to a single count of extortion.

Atlantic City also played a central role in the Abscam scandal, which resulted in the convictions of several members of Congress on charges of bribery and political corruption, including Senator Harrison A. Williams of New Jersey.

At the center of the scandal were promises for casino partnerships and revenue in Atlantic City.

“I’ll give you Atlantic City — without me, you do nothing,” Angelo J. Errichetti, who was then mayor of Camden, N.J., boasted to an undercover agent about arranging a casino license for a $50,000 kickback.

Also what mayor doesn't brawl in the parking lot of a casino in their city?

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessMincemeathttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18332-FBI-amp-IRS-raid-home-of-Atlantic-City-Mayor-Frank-GilliamSocial Card Clubs of Texas adds additional flight to avoid overlay (plus other shady BS)https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18331-Social-Card-Clubs-of-Texas-adds-additional-flight-to-avoid-overlay-(plus-other-shady-BS)&goto=newpost
Tue, 04 Dec 2018 09:45:42 GMTHey guys, longtime listener to radio from Texas. Got a scandal for you regarding the Social Card Clubs of Texas.

Please know that poker is not explicitly legal in Texas, and card clubs get around it by branding themselves as private clubs charging membership fees. Social Card Clubs of Texas currently charge a $100 annual membership fee.

They also need to pull shenanigans as far as holding tournaments and being able to charge an entry fee.

Social Card Clubs of Texas are currently in the process of hosting a multi-venue $250k guaranteed tournament. You can play Day 1 in either Austin, Houston, Killeen, or San Antonio.

Buyin is $300 + $50 which already is a bit high (14.3% rake) and you get 12k tourney chips. However the trick comes in where you can get another 12k chips for just $100 more, except that $100 doesn't go into the prize pool! It goes to what they call a charity. However, the charity is called "SCCoT Education and Advocacy Efforts", which is their lobbying group for legalizing poker! This obviously is no charity and is equivalent to another $100 rake. Sure, you can just not pay it, but then you start with half the chips of everyone else, and that's big time -EV, so almost everyone pays it.

When it's all said and done, you are paying $150 rake on a $300 buyin tourney, which means the rake is 33%. Fucking terrible!!!!

Well you might think this is the scam I'm talking about, but it's not. At least you can figure this out before you play and just not register if you hate the fact that they are raking 33%.

Well on Sunday they were advertising an overlay, but didn't explain how far behind they were.

I sorta quit playing at Texas Cardhouse in Austin (one of the locations), but went there Sunday to see how the games were.

So.. through table talk I learn they have added ANOTHER first day! This is from the same place that was advertising an overlay earlier in the day via their texts.

Fucking scumbag move, right???

See, they had Day 1s in 4 locations on November 30, December 1, and December 2. On December 2 (Sunday) they realized they were way below the $250k guarantee and started texting the overlay. Obv still not enough people showed up so they added a December 7 date at Austin only.

This place has also allowed private games to ruin the experience. Remember the controversy you talked about on radio regarding Aria doing this shit?

Well it's happening here too.

So basically the more likable guys who are more willing to go around fluffing the fish, get them to go into their "private" game. They pull these same players from the public games where they meet them at the cardroom. This keeps out a lot of the better players from the games and actually kills the live games. These places all have these private game rooms.. which is unfortunately legal here unlike Nevada where it's illegal.

The private game rooms are meant to allow a group of friends to just show up and play together without the public joining in. However the reality is that very few people use them for the intended purpose, and almost all seem to do it to abuse the system by pulling the fish out of public games, creating a 'private' game with them, and shutting out the solid players from the public who want to join it. Management doesn't give a shit and lets it happen.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessBarleyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18331-Social-Card-Clubs-of-Texas-adds-additional-flight-to-avoid-overlay-(plus-other-shady-BS)https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18292-Player-makes-accusations-against-Commerce-that-they-are-violating-the-law-by-banning-quot-player-bankers-quot-from-pit-games&goto=newpost
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 10:02:03 GMTFirst, I need to explain something.

Non-Indian card rooms like Commerce are required to NOT derive financial benefit from the results of any game played. That is, they need to make the same amount of money whether players win or lose.

In poker, that's easy. They just collect a rake or time charge.

In their "Calfornia pit games" section, with games like Pai Gow and Blackjack, it's not quite so simple.

Since these game are player-versus-house, Commerce and other card rooms need to charge a separate rake per hand, and then allow a player to volunteer to act as the house. This assures Commerce makes money on every hand, but does not benefit or lose based upon the result of the hand.

Since players don't always want to be banker, due to the high variance and risk of ruin, the cardrooms hire what's known as a "corporation" to bank these games. The corporation's role is to either bank these games when no player wants to, or to cover part of the action when the player banking does not have the proper roll to do so.

Commerce and other card rooms are supposed to give players the opportunity to bank if they want to. However, it is being alleged that Commerce no longer allows this, but rather expects the corporation will always be banking. If a player tries to object to this, he claims, he will be banned from Commerce entirely.

This video is more than 1.5 years old, and it is not clear what has happened since then.

The player, who appears to be hiding his identity, said in the video he was filing a class action lawsuit, and wants affected parties to contact him at commerceplayerbankers@gmail.com.

He said that he was banking games at Commerce, making "good money", and then banned.

These claims are not verified in any way, but I think I probably believe them, at least to some degree.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18292-Player-makes-accusations-against-Commerce-that-they-are-violating-the-law-by-banning-quot-player-bankers-quot-from-pit-gameshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18288-Justin-Lapka-(LappyPoker)-accidentally-given-5k-starting-tournament-chips-too-many-then-tries-to-protest-when-they-re-taken-away&goto=newpost
Sat, 24 Nov 2018 05:09:19 GMTPretty obnoxious case of self-entitlement when one is accidentally given an unfair advantage.

Justin Lapka, also known as LappyPoker, is a young poker pro who has recently been training under pros like Ryan Laplante.

Lapka played WSOP Circuit Event #5 (Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas), and busted it. He then entered with a second bullet, and was given 45k starting chips instead of 40k.

Lapka realized right away, but in his own words, considered it a "bank error in your favor" situation, and decided to just to keep the extra chips without saying anything.

That by itself is already unethical, but let's be honest -- many poker players would have done the same. Had the story simply ended there, I wouldn't even be wasting the time to post about it.

However, the same mistake was made for another player, and he spoke up about it. The floor then got involved and looked at the starting stacks, determining that Lapka also received 5k too much.

The situation should have ended there. Lapka should have sheepishly returned the 5k, and at worst, feigned ignorance so as to avoid embarrassment.

Instead, he argued with the floorman that he should be able to keep the chips!

People couldn't believe it. Lapka really tried to continue making the argument that he shouldn't have to give up that 5k. I'm not sure if he had already started playing at that point, but it doesn't really matter. He didn't deny receiving the extra 5k chips. He just didn't want to give it back, and he moaned about it on break after the floorman forced him to hand it over.

This caused somewhat of a stir in the poker room, and eventually word got around that he was training under Ryan Laplante and some other known pro. At that point, Lapka realized that he needed to do an about-face, or it might hurt his chances to keep training under these guys.

He then released the following statements via Twitter:

Some applauded him for the seemingly heartfelt apology, while others criticized him for only apologizing once caught.

Here's my take:

The issue here surrounds his protests regarding the 5k being taken back from him. I'm not even sure what justification he possibly could have used in order to keep it.

It's one thing to keep your mouth shut about an edge you're inadvertently given due to a tournament staff mistake. It's another to have that mistake caught, and somehow still feel you have a right to the unfair advantage!

His behavior at that point was clearly rephrehensible, and quite mind-boggling. What did he think he would accomplish?

The apology seems forced, and he's engaging in too much self-deprecation and "I didn't know I was hurting anyone" rhetoric.

Once he felt an apology was necessary, he should have simply stated that he saw the extra chips, decided to take the edge he was given, didn't really think through how unethical it was, and now realizes he made a big mistake. Then he should have offered an apology for arguing about it. That's it. No need for, "I'm a good person, I'm human, I make mistakes in life, I don't every try to hurt people", etc etc. Just admit you fucked up, promise you've learned from it, and move on.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18288-Justin-Lapka-(LappyPoker)-accidentally-given-5k-starting-tournament-chips-too-many-then-tries-to-protest-when-they-re-taken-awayTalking Stick Casino in Arizona screws man out of $50k jackpot offers shitty $4k settlementhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18274-Talking-Stick-Casino-in-Arizona-screws-man-out-of-50k-jackpot-offers-shitty-4k-settlement&goto=newpost
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 07:47:55 GMTPicture of the slot machine clearly shows the jackpot match on the reels.. The Indians claim a lightbulb was out on the machine and that he should've been paid $4k as he was.. Problem is that doesn't match anything on the payout matrix on that slot machine at any level.. Of course dude got fucked and had to take the $4k because as per usual the Indians are allowed to fuck the pale face at their casinos and nothing can be done about it unfortunately..

So looking for Knicks tickets for me and a buddy and when I go to the stubhub website I see that they're offering 10% off an order when you buy on the app...I think, 'great' since I was looking to get $300-400 tickets that'd be a nice $60-80 back to me...

so I look and find some tickets that are at midcourt for $341 each...

so go on the app and search for my tickets and the tickets that I was looking at on the website were $371 on the app...and all the other tickets in that section were roughly 10ish% more than what they are listed for on the website...

I tried to click on those seats in both the app and website, but for some reason the seat numbers didn't come up on the app...so I clicked on the row 17 seats on both the website and app and sure enough they were a match...so on the website the final price is $1050 or so and on the app the final price is $1125 or so...

good job with the bait and switch stubhub...guess i'll be using vivid seats from now on...

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessGambleBotsChafedPenishttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18189-StubHub-NBA-10-Off-ScamSportsbook Owner “5Dimes Tony” William Sean Creighton Found Dead in Costa Ricahttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18162-Sportsbook-Owner-“5Dimes-Tony”-William-Sean-Creighton-Found-Dead-in-Costa-Rica&goto=newpost
Sun, 21 Oct 2018 03:33:09 GMTHoly shit:
---Quote---
William Sean Creighton, a 43-year old American known as one of the three most important sportsbook operators in Costa Rica, disappeared on September 24th at about 10:00PM, as he was leaving work. His wife, a Tica, reported him missing the following day, and the Costa Rican police began investigating the case as a possible kidnapping for ransom. The OIJ, however, reported that no one had received a request for payment of ransom, and declined further comment.
At the time of his disappearance, Creighton was driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and had no bodyguards accompanying him. He was apparently forced off the road, abducted at gunpoint, and his Porsche was found abandoned, crashed into the gate of a private property near Guapiles. Diario Extra reported that Creighton was abducted by four men, two on a motorcycle, and two in a BMW, and taken via taxi to another location as a kidnapping.
---End Quote---
https://news.co.cr/us-expat-and-sportsbook-owner-5dimes-tony-aka-william-sean-creighton-body-has-been-found-in-costa-rica/76844/Holy shit:

Quote:

William Sean Creighton, a 43-year old American known as one of the three most important sportsbook operators in Costa Rica, disappeared on September 24th at about 10:00PM, as he was leaving work. His wife, a Tica, reported him missing the following day, and the Costa Rican police began investigating the case as a possible kidnapping for ransom. The OIJ, however, reported that no one had received a request for payment of ransom, and declined further comment.

At the time of his disappearance, Creighton was driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and had no bodyguards accompanying him. He was apparently forced off the road, abducted at gunpoint, and his Porsche was found abandoned, crashed into the gate of a private property near Guapiles. Diario Extra reported that Creighton was abducted by four men, two on a motorcycle, and two in a BMW, and taken via taxi to another location as a kidnapping.

https://news.co.cr/us-expat-and-spor...ta-rica/76844/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18162-Sportsbook-Owner-“5Dimes-Tony”-William-Sean-Creighton-Found-Dead-in-Costa-RicaFreeRolls Poker Club - Scams employees working WPTDeepStacks Houston event.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18157-FreeRolls-Poker-Club-Scams-employees-working-WPTDeepStacks-Houston-event&goto=newpost
Sat, 20 Oct 2018 00:23:18 GMTHey everyone, I debated on whether or not to create a separate account or not as this will put my name, but I don’t really care.

WPTDeepStacks entered a contract with FreeRolls Poker Club to hold a WPtDeeaptacks event in Houston from 9/25 - 10/1. I came to the event to deal and realized things were messed up and we’re going to go terribly wrong if I didn’t. Nobody at FreeRolls Poker Club had a clue on how to run a professional Multi-flight MTT.

Below is the official statement I have made about the event and the aftermath.

The key thing to note is this, employees were told the checks would be available on 10/15. We showed up and the owner told ia the club was broke and investors backed out.

WPTDEEPSTACKS Statement.

The following statement & views of the dealings about WPTDeepStacks Houston & FreeRolls Poker Club is NOT an official statement made on behalf of either of the mentioned party. This is a personal view/opinion on how things were managed, and things that I witnessed myself. I will be as honest as possible with the knowledge that I have.

My name is Lee Bradbury. I was the official Tournament Director of the WPTDeepStacks Houston Event hosted by FreeRolls Poker Club.

I have been a traveling poker dealer since July 2018. A friend of mine from Houston contacted me about possibly DEALING the WPTDeepStacks Houston event. He got me in contact with the General Manager, Dexter Baier.

A few days prior to the event starting Dexter called and asked if I owned a suit, I advised I did. He asked me if I would be interested in FLOORING the event for a couple of the days. I explained I had no flooring experience but was comfortable enough with the TDA rules that I could if he needed me, I asked who the TD was. He said that he was going to give anyone who wanted to be a TD/floor, the chance to do so. I immediately said that was a terrible idea and pretty quickly found out there was no plan.....

A few of the things that were wrong off the top:

- The dealers were unsure how much they were getting paid. Multiple people were told “between $15-$20/hr depending on experience....also no one was clear on WHEN the staff would be paid

- Over staffing. On Day 1A I started off with 3 tables, ended up opening 2 more, but had 24 dealers staffed. A few volunteered to leave at the beginning, and a few trickled out pretty early, but I ended up having to fit 18 dealers on a 5 table string. In the end, payroll ended up being EXTREMELY higher than what it needed to be because Dexter would let employees sit around when they weren’t needed for dealing (I was not allowed to send dealers home without going to Dexter)

- No chip security. The chips for the event were kept in racks in the “dealer break room” that was left unlocked and unmonitored during the ENTIRE event. Every single staff member had access to these chips.

- The dealers set up their own trays and were not verified by a member of management at any point. Dealers could have purposely or accidentally gave too less or too many chips.

The PokerAtlas system for total # of entries was being controlled by the cage. During Day 1A the players were constantly asking if the total # of entrants were correct. I had personally witnessed 1 player bust, rebuy, and the total # of entrants did not increase, so I asked a lady at the cage about this.(I don’t have any of the cage ladies names). Her response was that they were only adding to the # of entrants on unique buy-ins and not reentries.

I immediately went to Dex and told him that that’s the wrong way to do things and that things won’t match up in the end. I was told to “stay in my lane”...the cage and money isn’t anything I need to worry about.

At the end of Day 1A, it said “75 entrants” on the tournament clock, but there were approx* 2.43 million chips in bags (81 entries).

Day 1B was the same story, the clock at the end of the day showed something like 118 or 119, but there were approx* 4.17 million chips in play (139 entries).

*I say approx, because we raced off the 100 denomination chips at the end of each Day1

On Day 1C at the beginning of the day Trent made an announcement that there was $220,000 in the prizepool.

So the prize pool at that point matched the total # of chips in play, so I figured that issue was solved.

**Another important note, is that on Day 1A or day 1B (I honestly can’t remember), I do remember Trent announced that he had secured another $850,000 investor for the FreeRolls Poker Club

MOVING ON TO DAY 2.

The morning of Day 2, Dexter talked to me that morning and was saying that they counted the money in the cage and only had $750,000 for the prize pool but that they had already announced the prize pool of $790,000.

The total # of chips in play matched close*** to. 23.7 million (790 x 30k)

*** the total # of chips in play in Day2 = 23,325,000. I do know that several people double bagged and that some chips were forfeited, but I personally never saw those bags and was never told what they added up to

Dexter wanted to chalk up the 1.2 million chips discrepancy up to chips being introduced into play that shouldn’t have & incorrect color ups.

Is this possible? I guess, but the larger denomination chips (25k & 100k) chips didn’t get put into play until very late stages of the tournament....if this is what happened, it all leads back to the lack of chip security

Other issues with the tournament:

- The word “tips” were not allowed to be used. Instead of the players being able to leave tips for the dealing staff, they had to purchase “show me love chips”...however the ladies at the cage were “too busy” to handle that, so instead a dealer was put by the exit promoting these chips...HOWEVER, there was a jar at the cage that said “tips” and this tips were split only among the staff in the cage. From my understanding this was not explained to the players. (Keep in mind from my understanding members of the cage included Trent Daniel’s wife and Charles Potter’s wife)....I’m not aware of how much the cage collected in chips but I know for a fact it took away from the dealing staff.
- Also in regards to tips, there was not a dealer present during anytime that anyone at the final table got paid. It was reported that dealers received a total of $8,100 in tips TOTAL for the event.

- The players that bagged, did so we Ziploc bags. I had to improvise a system where not only the player counted their stack, but so did the dealer and a member of the floor staff, and another player at the table.

- Day 2 seat assignments was never made prior to the players showing up for Day 2. I had to improvise and had players do a random seat draw by using the seat cards. Then dealers (not sitting at a table) would go find the players bag and bring them their bag. This caused Day 2 to get started almost 1.5 hours late.

DAY 3 (Final table)

When the first few players busted, they had to wait for over a hour to get paid, I was later told this was because Trent was running around trying to get money to be able to pay all the players because of the prize pool discrepancy.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE EVENT?

The event was over on 10/1. Dealers were asking when are we getting paid and nobody had a clear answer.

On 10/8 there was a mass text sent out from FreeRolls CFO Joanne Melton that payroll dates would be on the 1st & 15th of each month. It was communicated to us then to expect our checks on Monday 10/15.

On Monday 10/15 @ 10:42am CST another mass text from the same # was sent out that checks would be available from 4pm - 5:30pm at the club that afternoon (10/15).

I personally showed up at around 4:45pm and walked in to Trent Daniel telling everyone that the prizepool was short and that he used all the available funds to make the prize pool right and to make payments to WPT. He stated that at 1pm on 10/15 that he had an investor meeting to get more money for payroll, but that investor backed out and refused to give anymore money.

WHY DID HE WAIT UNTIL 3 HOURS PRIOR TO PAYING HIS DEALERS TO HAVE THIS MEETING? I asked this exact question and his response was “because our investor meetings are on the 1st and 15th of every month. So what was being doing between 10/1 & 10/15?!?!?

During this meeting, he asked everyone to give him 36 hours to try to figure out how to make this right. This was around 6pm on 10/15.

On Wednesday a few people were updated that they had another investor meeting that afternoon and would know more later that day. Later that night, I received a call from Rackel (the new Poker Room manager?) that they secured funding and would start paying people out on Thursday and hopefully have everyone paid in full no later than Friday or Monday.

I have not had the chance to ask anyone if they did indeed get any money on Thursday as I worked all day, but personally I did not receive any money on Thursday (10/18). I will follow up with some of the dealers tomorrow see what they say.

There are several things that I have left out as in my personal opinion I don’t that that matter much, about procedures that were done wrong, and other things that were just plain out of whack, but will do my best to answer any and all questions directed at me.

I will also make another post regarding further personal conversations that I’ve had with various members of FreeRolls staff but those will be solely my personal feelings and opinions and didn’t want to get them mixed in with the facts of the tournament and payroll situation in itself.

Thanks for reading.

Lee Bradbury
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18157-FreeRolls-Poker-Club-Scams-employees-working-WPTDeepStacks-Houston-eventIs there any chance this is not a rigged game?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18148-Is-there-any-chance-this-is-not-a-rigged-game&goto=newpost
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 08:57:00 GMTMaybe will say later, but low level, mostly unknown crypto poker site. For simplicity I will not talk about suits as they didn't matter and have changed the crypto stuff to make it like a 1/2 cash game

Hero dealt KK in the BB
Player to his left limps. Folds back to hero. Hero raises to 9, villain calls.

Odds the game is rigged?
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessCryptoNinjahttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18148-Is-there-any-chance-this-is-not-a-rigged-gameChad Holloway tweets out that Bobby Baldwin is leaving MGM at end of year potentially due to sexual misconduct allegationshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?18107-Chad-Holloway-tweets-out-that-Bobby-Baldwin-is-leaving-MGM-at-end-of-year-potentially-due-to-sexual-misconduct-allegations&goto=newpost
Wed, 10 Oct 2018 17:37:56 GMTAttachment 41375 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=41375)
https://www.pokernews.com/news/2018/10/inside-gaming-mgm-resorts-executive-bobby-baldwin-32282.htm

We often think of fraud as primarily a business problem, but in some cases, law enforcement steps in to prosecute serious criminals. Here at iovation, we have seen our fraud data help convict cybercriminals. But there are also larger issues to consider.

Where do your fraud losses go? Is there a fraud ring looking to make a nice profit, or are they funding something larger? Is the information gained from one entity part of a plan to profit from another?

Join us as we interview Andy McDonald, former Senior Investigating Officer at New Scotland Yard, to gain his insights into how law enforcement combats fraud and other illicit finance operations.

Topics will include:

Traits of a typical fraudster

Tactics that law enforcement use to track fraud

What the next generation of fraud looks like

How fraud can finance organized crime and terrorism

I suggest they should have CEO Greg Pierson there for the "traits of a typical fraudster". He can share his own tactics and experiences from cheating players on UB.

In 2015, 25-year-old Matthew Crane was a dealer at the Mohegan Sun Pocono, which is located in Pennsylvania.

Crane was dating Rochelle Poszeluznyj, a cocktail waitress at the casino. Somehow he found out, presumably through Rochelle, that there was an ongoing scheme to steal freeplay from the casino. He reported it to authorities.

There were three people involved:

Robert Pellegrini (casino VP of player development)

Mark Heltzel (a frequent customer)

Rochelle Poszeluznyj (cocktail waitress)

Here's how the scheme worked:

Rochelle would serve drinks normally, and when players wanted to pay for their drinks using their card, they would give her their PIN to do so.

Rochelle would then write down those PINs and the card number of those players.

Then she would give this information to Robert, the casino VP, who would add additional freeplay onto those cards. He would make duplicates of those cards.

Mark would then take the duplicate cards, run only the recently-added freeplay, and cash out the winnings.

The three would split the proceeds.

This did not affect players, as Heltzel only ran the extra added freeplay for the scheme, and didn't steal any of the original freeplay on the cards. They did it this way so players would not become suspicious of missing freeplay and complain, which would have exposed the scheme.

The stole about $419,000 from the casino this way, using about $480,000 worth of freeplay, during parts of 2014 and 2015.

Robert claimed he was only funding a gambling problem, and that he routinely lost big money at other casinos. He admitted to being the ringleader of the scheme. The judge gave him some mercy because he received several letters about Robert's conduct in everyday life, and it seemed to him that Robert was overall a decent guy (more on that later).

Rochelle Poszeluznyj skated away with only 6 months house arrest and probation, which is kinda laughable. While women do suffer some disadvantages in life, they tend to do far better than men when it comes to criminal sentencing, as the courts are almost always far more lenient on them.

And despite Pellegrini supposedly being a good dude who just made a mistake, it turned out he has a history of fraud. It was discovered that, before this scheme, he rigged a $10,000 Easter Egg contest in early 2014, and was charged with that in 2018. Again, Mark Heltzel was involved. However, Pellegrini only got probation for that one.

Well, now the police are claiming that he simply fell off a railroad trestle, and drowned. While that's possible, I think the police are dismissing it too easily, especially because they don't know exactly why he was walking on that railroad trestle at the time he fell.

Is it possible he was followed there, and pushed?

Possibly, but it is important to keep in mind that he didn't rat out the mob. There were only 3 people involved in this scheme, and none of them were sophisticated, hardened criminals. Therefore, graduating to murder AFTER the criminal cases are over seems rather unlikely. Still, I think it deserves more investigation than they appear to have done.

Mohegan Sun Pocono is located near Wilkes-Barre, PA.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17999-Key-witness-in-casino-fraud-case-found-dead-in-creek-from-quot-accidental-quot-fallPokerstars game manipulationhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17969-Pokerstars-game-manipulation&goto=newpost
Sat, 08 Sep 2018 08:01:30 GMT Subject: Hand histories (PS) EU - V1.2018 Why is there a woman's avatar on my player position?
>
> Hi Stars,
>
> In order to speed up my request I will provide the following information below:
>
> - Hand Histories for a tournament (tournament number is ..):
>
> - Entire Hand Histories: see attached
>
> - Hand Histories (game types and time frame is ..): see attached
>
> - Tournament summaries (game types and time frame is ..):
>
> - Hand Readings (hand number is..): see attached
>
> Please see attached screenshot. Why is there a woman's avatar on my player position?
******************************************************************************************************
This is the worthless initial response:
On 9/8/2018 5:48 AM, support@starsaccount.eu wrote:
Hello xxx,
Thank you for your email.
First of all, please note that your gender was missing, hence we did update it as male.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
In order to select an image to represent you at the tables, please note you need to do it from our software for computers as this is not possible from our mobile app. Please login to your account and select:
'Settings → Account Details → Change Image'
A new window will open, giving you the opportunity to choose between:
A variety of different icons from our gallery
Adding your own custom image
To choose an image from our gallery, pick one of our iconic logos from the PokerStars tab, flags from everywhere around the globe, Global Poker League logos or our vast array of avatars, including animals, characters, holidays, lucky charms, other sports, poker related images, zodiac signs, Aussies or politics avatars.
To add your own custom image:
Click on 'Custom Image'
Select 'New Image'
Find the image file you would like to use from your hard drive
Select the file and press 'Open'
Once the selected image is uploaded to our server, click and drag the selection box over the area of the image you wish to display (the smaller window at the right shows you what image will appear at the table)
Once you are satisfied with the image in the smaller window, press 'Submit for Approval'
All images will be screened before being shown at the tables. We reserve the right to reject any image that we consider unsuitable. Screening time will vary based on the number of images submitted and activation may take up to 5 days.
Please note that whilst you may change your image from our pre-defined icons as often as you wish, custom changes are limited to 3 per month and any new custom image will delete the previous one.
Additionally, if you use an image from the Internet as your custom image, please observe copyright law, and refrain from using copyrighted images.
Feel free to contact us anytime for further info, we are always glad to help you.
Regards,
Aurelie
Stars Support
*******************************************************************************
This is my response:
Sent: 09/08/2018 01:23:57
To: support@starsaccount.eu
Subject: Re: Player image
Thank you for the reply. However, you didn't answer my question. Why is there a women's avatar at my player position? More importantly, why is there an avatar at my player position when I've never assigned one? Why is there an avatar for me just for this hand replay? Why is there an inconsistency in this avatar just for this hand leading to other questions of is there tampering? If there is tampering with my avatar is it due to tampering with game play and outcomes?
Would you please answer these questions to a detail that gives me confidence in PS? If not, would you please elevate these questions to people important enough to care about these questions?
*******************************************************************************
Here is the last PS response:
Hello xxx,
Thank you for your reply.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Please be advised that only the player can upload a image (picture or avatar), so it could be that you did it without knowing or by mistake, otherwise it means somebody did use your account.
Do not hesitate to contact us again if you need further assistance.
Regards,
Aurelie
Stars Support
*****************************************************************************
Here is the screen shot:
Attachment 40814 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=40814)]]>I'm playing .05/.10 PLO Zoom and take a look at my previous hands with the replay feature. About 3 hands previous, I see my player position has a woman's avatar under my name. So, I ask customer support with an attached screen shot why do I have a woman's avatar associated to me for this hand?

There are FAILS on two levels and suggests game manipulation by their own customer response:

- First, customer service is a joke because they proceed to tell me HOW to associate an avatar to my name. This is either obfuscation or just dumb low level customer service or both. Either way a FAIL because I asked WHY there was an avatar.
- THEN, after my followup that this was not what I was asking, I was told only the player can change the avatar (or maybe I did it and didn't know it--HA!) or someone else is playing my account! NOW A SERIOUS FAIL. Why would they say this? They can see my player history. There is no dispute on the play conducted. They know how hard it is to add an avatar, so how could I do this by mistake? Why would they answer this way? I have not gotten a reply back when I told them I am the only one playing the account and that I did not associate an avatar to my account.

I've attached the emails and screen shot. Has anyone experienced something like this? Why wouldn't PS know if I attached an avatar or not? If avatars can be manipulated, what else can be manipulated?

First of all, please note that your gender was missing, hence we did update it as male.

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.

In order to select an image to represent you at the tables, please note you need to do it from our software for computers as this is not possible from our mobile app. Please login to your account and select:

'Settings → Account Details → Change Image'

A new window will open, giving you the opportunity to choose between:

A variety of different icons from our gallery
Adding your own custom image

To choose an image from our gallery, pick one of our iconic logos from the PokerStars tab, flags from everywhere around the globe, Global Poker League logos or our vast array of avatars, including animals, characters, holidays, lucky charms, other sports, poker related images, zodiac signs, Aussies or politics avatars.

To add your own custom image:

Click on 'Custom Image'
Select 'New Image'
Find the image file you would like to use from your hard drive
Select the file and press 'Open'
Once the selected image is uploaded to our server, click and drag the selection box over the area of the image you wish to display (the smaller window at the right shows you what image will appear at the table)
Once you are satisfied with the image in the smaller window, press 'Submit for Approval'

All images will be screened before being shown at the tables. We reserve the right to reject any image that we consider unsuitable. Screening time will vary based on the number of images submitted and activation may take up to 5 days.

Please note that whilst you may change your image from our pre-defined icons as often as you wish, custom changes are limited to 3 per month and any new custom image will delete the previous one.

Additionally, if you use an image from the Internet as your custom image, please observe copyright law, and refrain from using copyrighted images.

Feel free to contact us anytime for further info, we are always glad to help you.
Regards,

Thank you for the reply. However, you didn't answer my question. Why is there a women's avatar at my player position? More importantly, why is there an avatar at my player position when I've never assigned one? Why is there an avatar for me just for this hand replay? Why is there an inconsistency in this avatar just for this hand leading to other questions of is there tampering? If there is tampering with my avatar is it due to tampering with game play and outcomes?

Would you please answer these questions to a detail that gives me confidence in PS? If not, would you please elevate these questions to people important enough to care about these questions?
************************************************** *****************************
Here is the last PS response:
Hello xxx,

Thank you for your reply.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Please be advised that only the player can upload a image (picture or avatar), so it could be that you did it without knowing or by mistake, otherwise it means somebody did use your account.

Do not hesitate to contact us again if you need further assistance.

Regards,

Aurelie
Stars Support
************************************************** ***************************
Here is the screen shot:

Todd has always been shady. The way he nickel dimes everyone, and is willing to actually get people fired over 50 cents (low wager fast food workers, for example) makes him a bad person.

He says that he never scams anyone, yet on his radio show he scams businesses by calling them up and wasting their time in a fake voice, as he creates false issues, robbing companies of their manpower, all for the benefit of his show.

Now he says that having a forum poster pay 8K in entrees for Todd to this year WSOP, during which time the poster was perpetrating a cancer death hoax, didn't impact his judgment. He claims he would have sold out the stake anyways, yet also states that it did save him a bunch of time and aggravation, by only having to deal with one person. So, he values his own time, yet nobody else's, then discounts that time and says that it has no value, and therefore not a scam.

The guy claims to live in Los Angeles, yet at the WSOP he is listed as being from Nevada. Nevada doesn't have state income tax. Maybe he lists Nevada, and maybe he lists California on his tax returns. Who knows? But the guy is willing to spend 20 hours on issues involving essentially 50 cents. All for the principle of the thing.

He delivered his own knockout punch here, though, with his rationalizations. He even went so far as to get cute with his words, stating that he did not know that the cancer and death hoax threads were going up, implying that had he had known, he would have stopped it. Such lies. He calls others out for far far less. There were posters on his site who spend over 10 hours (conservative) looking up cancer info and trying to help..lol...Todd does not care...not a scam in his opinion. The guy who claimed cancer even called up a poster on the site who had cancer before, faked like he was his own brother, then put the guy through the ringer telling him that the cancer hoaxer was now dead. Start to finish, the hoax lasted many months. costing at least hundreds of hours of people's time. No big deal. Not a scam.

Todd claims that people not put his name in threads, as to avoid coming up in Google searches, yet that is his exact M.O. when he has an issue with anyone.

He constantly lets people know that he runs his site at a loss, as if he is doing the posters on the forum a favor, yet the reason he does it is strictly for ego gratification. Those same posters are the one's he despises, not the ones he is running a "charity" forum for. He does it all for one reason, his misplaced ego.

And of course, the one and only poster on the whole site, who has ever given Todd a significant amount of money, by buying at least 8K worth of buyins to this years WSOP, and also putting up thousands of free roll money through the years, is also the one guy who Todd scams the forum with, by going along with the cancer hoax and fake death. I mean, the guy admits he knew the cancer was a hoax, yet he let it go on for months, robbing posters of their time, and playing with their emotions. Yet somehow it was not a scam. Next year, if the scam hadn't been uncovered, Todd likely gets staked again. But it didn't alter his judgment. Whatever.

Money and ego are his religion He admits to being a "cheap Jew" constantly, which is similar to black people calling themselves the n word....just feeding into stereotypes.

The cancer hoaxer stated before his "death" that he would give a 10K freeroll to the site. The guy is supposedly a millionaire. Of course, now that the hoax has been uncovered, what does the hoaxer do? Tells the forum that he donated 5K to some Boys and Girls club in Hollywood, California. No problem at all with wasting hundreds, if not thousands of collective hours of people's time with the cancer hoax. They get nothing. When the gig is finally up, Todd claims extreme bad health as the main reason for people to not pile on. Oh, and that it was not malicious....yeah right. People's time and emotions have no value to Todd...therefore...not a scam...can't you see?

Todd's defense here, makes him ineligible, to further hunt down frauds or comment on anyone concerning scams, ethics, or anything. Imagine if Mason and Sklansky got together with 2+2's biggest advertiser and allowed a multi month death hoax to go on. You cannot even imagine it. But what if when they were caught, they claimed that the advertising dollars played no role in the matter, as they would have been able to sell the advertising anyways.

Todd blew it. The emperor has no clothes. Too late to backtrack now. Too many lies, too many white lies and half truths. Not a good guy, especially when it comes to honest hard working people in low wages jobs. He shows no mercy to anyone in those situations, where he feels slighted in the least. Hour upon hour about crying over why subway won't let him get tomatoes on the side. Calling managers when lowly workers make honest mistakes. It is over. Pull the plug on that scam site.

Even Mason is now involved!
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesssnowtrackshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17904-Well-known-poker-personality-allows-an-inappropriate-fake-story-on-his-forumSnail Mail Blackmail Letterhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17875-Snail-Mail-Blackmail-Letter&goto=newpost
Fri, 24 Aug 2018 20:39:13 GMTI literally just went to get the mail after reading all the CMONEY stuff, and opened a letter just like this. OBV scam, but still very creepy when you get a letter. Good article on the exact scam. https://www.cnet.com/news/im-being-blackmailed-for-bitcoin-by-snail-mail/I literally just went to get the mail after reading all the CMONEY stuff, and opened a letter just like this. OBV scam, but still very creepy when you get a letter. Good article on the exact scam. https://www.cnet.com/news/im-being-b...by-snail-mail/

We hereby announce that we made available, on August 23, 2018, an online rehabilitation claim filing system (the “System”) on MTGOX’s website (https://claims.mtgox.com/assets/index.html#/) that enables users (“Users”) of MTGOX Co., Ltd (“MTGOX”) to, among others, make online filings of their rehabilitation claims in relation to MTGOX’s rehabilitation proceedings (Tokyo District Court 2017 (sai) No. 35; the “Civil Rehabilitation Proceedings”). Also, we announce the commencement of, among others, accepting filing of proofs of rehabilitation claims by offline method to rehabilitation creditors who are unable to file proofs of rehabilitation claims through the System.

Please visit the website and file your rehabilitation claim by the end of the period for filing of rehabilitation claims (i.e., October 22, 2018).

General instructions and FAQs concerning proofs of rehabilitation claims, including the methods for filing proofs of claims through the System and by offline method, are available on the MTGOX website (https://www.mtgox.com/). Please refer to these as well. We plan to provide further information on the civil rehabilitation proceedings by posting it on MTGOX’s website (https://www.mtgox.com/). We kindly ask you to check the website.

This email address (mtgox_trustee@noandt.com) is used only for the purpose of the Trustee sending messages, and we cannot check and respond to any replies to this email address.

Finally, this email is sent for the purpose of providing information to those whose email addresses are known to the Trustee and those who may have rehabilitation claims. Receipt of this email does not mean that you have been certified as a rehabilitation creditor. The Trustee owes no legal liability to anyone due to the transmission of this document.

We have a winner
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessGookieheimowitzhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17856-Newest-Nevada-Black-Book-CandidateMGM National Harbor takes funds out of Bad Beat Jackpot for tournament seats (also, apparently there are harmful fumes in the poker room)https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17791-MGM-National-Harbor-takes-funds-out-of-Bad-Beat-Jackpot-for-tournament-seats-(also-apparently-there-are-harmful-fumes-in-the-poker-room)&goto=newpost
Sun, 12 Aug 2018 22:49:02 GMTTwo unflattering stories out of the DC area, regarding poker at MGM National Harbor.

First, they just held a tournament, where the 3 Main Event seats awarded could possibly come from the cash game bad beat jackpot:

Look at the term next to the red arrow.

Quote:

MGM National Harbor is Guaranteeing 3 Main Event Seats daily.

Any shortfalls from the guarantee will be paid from the poker jackpot reserve fund.

So basically, if a particular day doesn't get enough buyins, they will dip into the cash game bad beat jackpot to pay for the 3 Main Event seats they're guaranteeing as prizes.

Shaaaaaaaaaaady.

Is this legal?

Yes.

Since the money is coming from poker players and being paid back to poker players, the legal requirements for the Bad Beat Jackpot are being satisfied.

Did it happen?

I don't know. Nobody reported it did. Apparently this is a well-attended series, so the chance of this happening isn't too high.

They did it the same way in 2017, and this is what Tournament Director Johnny Grooms had to say about it:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Grooms

In the process of adressing. Will likely deduct 1% from all tourney prize pools to add to the jackpot reserve. This accomplishes the contribution some players like to see.

I understand your position, but hopefully you can see that using the BBJ reserve to cover these is +EV for the room. It attracts players to cash games that otherwise likely wouldn't be there. In the strictest terms, i wish there was no BBJ or promotions, but it's there, and competitors use it to their advantage. Were I not to do this, I would be at a competitive disadvantage.

I actually did the tournament deductions at Beau Rivage in MS.... will have to examine whether MLGCA will allow.

The 1% idea (proposed last year) doesn't help any. It's just a shell game. If that were done, and the guarantee WAS hit, then 1% of the tournament prize pool would be siphoned into the cash games, which is just as bad.

As far as I can see, they didn't end up taking the 1% this year, and I'm assuming that idea died.

What would be fair?

Either don't guarantee those seats (or don't have them in the first place), or at the very minimum, take a percentage out of each tournament buyin for a tournament-only reserve fund, which could be used in these situations.

Since they went with this "take from the BBJ fund if necessary" approach again in 2018, it appears that's what they're going to stick with.

FYI, Johnny Grooms was the tournament director for the WSOP when it first came to the Rio in 2005. He was the one who awarded me my bracelet. I heard rumors that he left the WSOP under suspicious circumstances, but I never got confirmation of this. Jack Effel took over his job in 2007.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17791-MGM-National-Harbor-takes-funds-out-of-Bad-Beat-Jackpot-for-tournament-seats-(also-apparently-there-are-harmful-fumes-in-the-poker-room)https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17790-Las-Vegas-Sportsbook-operator-CG-Technology-fined-250-000-for-quot-accepting-out-of-state-bets-quot-and-other-violations&goto=newpost
Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:04:21 GMTCARSON CITY, Nev. — A company that operates race and sports books in eight Las Vegas casinos is being fined $250,000
---Quote---
by the Nevada regulators for illegally accepting out of state bets, taking wagers after the contest was completed and underpaying or overpaying players.
CG Technology Holding last week signed a stipulation with the Nevada Gaming Control Board it also will discontinue its use of a sports pool computer system.
This is the third time the company has been fined for violations. It paid a $22.5 million fine to the U.S. government in October 2016 with the state receiving $700,000 of the amount. The state also imposed a $1.5 million penalty in 2006 for gaming violations.
---End Quote---
https://www.nnbusinessview.com/news/sports-book-operator-fined-250000-by-nevada-regulators/
Fines are just the cost of doing business!CARSON CITY, Nev. — A company that operates race and sports books in eight Las Vegas casinos is being fined $250,000

Quote:

by the Nevada regulators for illegally accepting out of state bets, taking wagers after the contest was completed and underpaying or overpaying players.

CG Technology Holding last week signed a stipulation with the Nevada Gaming Control Board it also will discontinue its use of a sports pool computer system.

This is the third time the company has been fined for violations. It paid a $22.5 million fine to the U.S. government in October 2016 with the state receiving $700,000 of the amount. The state also imposed a $1.5 million penalty in 2006 for gaming violations.

Texas hold'em always called 'Texas" or "hold'em" for short. It is world's most popular poker game. Texas hold 'em consists of two cards (hole cards) being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer&mash;a series of three ("the flop") then an additional single card ("the turn" or "fourth") and another additional card ("the river" or "fifth street")&mash;with players having the option to check, bet, raise or fold after each deal. Betting may occur prior to the flop, "on the flop", "on the turn", and "on the river".

Cheat Texas hold'em by poker analyzer

Texas hold'em can be easily cheat by using poker analyzer. Poker analyzer system is made up of a camera lens, an analyzer and an earpiece also together with cards marked by barcode. When the camera lens scan on the cards marked by barcodes, the value of each card will be sent to analyzer immediately. After about 0.3 seconds' analysis, you will hear the result from the earpiece.

What will you hear from the earpiece?

From the earpiece, different settings you will hear different result. 1. You can hear the first winner hand. 2. You can hear the first and second winner hand. 3. You can know each hand rank. 4. You can hear the winner hand and also the suits and value of flop.... With so many results, there is no reason that you will not win the game.

If number of players change?

In a poker game, the number of players will be changed as players come and go. So how to do with analyzer? There is a remote to help you to change the number of players very easily and quickly. Whenever they come, and whenever they go, you will set the number of players very easily.

Can use different cameras?

Cameras can be changed any time you need. And we can do camera into many objects. Such as in the phone, in the lighter, in the car key, in the table, in the chip tray.

I will not provide the link to buy this, as I do not wish to help cheaters.

The scheme does require dealer cooperation. Egyptian Billy was in on this in a game in Glasgow and won over £400,000.

It was discovered by a player in the game.

The dealer was apprehended. It is not clear what happened to Billy when this came out, but currently his whereabouts are unknown.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessMincemeathttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17725-Egyptian-Billy-(Billy-Chawick)-caught-using-device-to-see-holecards-at-poker-gameMcDonalds Monopoly Game Riggedhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17723-McDonalds-Monopoly-Game-Rigged&goto=newpost
Sun, 29 Jul 2018 19:46:17 GMTThe guy in charge of the monopoly game security gave all the big prizes to people he knew for kickbacks. Looks like Druff wasted a lot of years.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-an-ex-cop-rigged-mcdonalds-monopoly-game-and-stole-millions?ref=homeThe guy in charge of the monopoly game security gave all the big prizes to people he knew for kickbacks. Looks like Druff wasted a lot of years.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-an...lions?ref=home
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesstoptophttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17723-McDonalds-Monopoly-Game-Riggedhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17715-Men-quot-The-Master-quot-Nguyen-Wreaks-Havoc-on-Way-to-WPT-Gardens-Final-Table&goto=newpost
Sat, 28 Jul 2018 01:02:55 GMTHe is up to his old tricks again.... How in the hell is this guy the chip leader?
They cut him off from drinking beer, and then he started falling asleep at the table in between hands. LOL
Full story here: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2018/07/men-the-master-nguyen-wreaks-havoc-wpt-gardens-final-table-31622.htmHe is up to his old tricks again.... How in the hell is this guy the chip leader?

They cut him off from drinking beer, and then he started falling asleep at the table in between hands. LOL

Full story here: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2018/...able-31622.htm
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessMatt The Rathttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17715-Men-quot-The-Master-quot-Nguyen-Wreaks-Havoc-on-Way-to-WPT-Gardens-Final-TableFanDuel Meadowlands fail: bettors report FanDuel sportsbook ran out of cash for payoutshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17700-FanDuel-Meadowlands-fail-bettors-report-FanDuel-sportsbook-ran-out-of-cash-for-payouts&goto=newpost
Wed, 25 Jul 2018 14:47:28 GMTSo now that sports betting has the A-OK...one of the states with operating sportsbooks is New Jersey. FanDuel, a daily fantasy site, has thrown their hat into the ring with their sportsbook, "FanDuel Meadowlands", which has come under fire for heavy juice it offers for its plays.

And now, we get this report today. Total fail; this is the type of stuff that can derail sports betting as a legal flourishing business:

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1021992456710172672
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17700-FanDuel-Meadowlands-fail-bettors-report-FanDuel-sportsbook-ran-out-of-cash-for-payoutsDruff can have fun with this on radio and call a sccammer.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17697-Druff-can-have-fun-with-this-on-radio-and-call-a-sccammer&goto=newpost
Tue, 24 Jul 2018 04:58:50 GMTGot this on a voicemail the other day. Lulz
Not a virus! Just an mp3 file in a zip fileGot this on a voicemail the other day. Lulz

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessMatt The Rathttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17697-Druff-can-have-fun-with-this-on-radio-and-call-a-sccammerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17693-Doug-Polk-s-company-Upswing-Poker-allegdly-scammed-JNandez-for-100k&goto=newpost
Sun, 22 Jul 2018 18:14:30 GMTFully story here: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/doug-polks-company-upswing-poker-allegdly-scammed-jnandez-100k-1718029/Fully story here: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/2...-100k-1718029/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessMatt The Rathttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17693-Doug-Polk-s-company-Upswing-Poker-allegdly-scammed-JNandez-for-100khttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17660-Dude-Looks-Like-a-Scammer-(and-a-lady)-quot-Frank-Marino-s-Divas-quot-show-at-The-LINQ-closed-by-Caesars-after-Marino-apparently-stole-charity-money&goto=newpost
Mon, 16 Jul 2018 20:11:39 GMT"Frank Marino's Divas" is a long-running drag show which has existed in Vegas since 1985. It was originally called "An Evening at La Cage". Marino has performed in more than 25,000 shows during that time, which is a record as a headliner.

Frank starred as Joan Rivers, and the other "girls" would play other well-known female celebrities.

It was at the now-defunct Riviera for a long time, and was most recently at Caesars-owned "The LINQ".

Now the show has closed and has no home, and it's all because of an accusation that Marino was stealing merchandise sale money earmarked for charity.

Marino would announce daily from the stage that a portion of the proceeds of "Divas" merchandise would be donated to the Las Vegas Make-A-Wish foundation, and he encouraged audience members to purchase items such as DVDs and t-shirts. Recently, a report emerged that Make-A-Wish was not actually getting any money from Frank Marino or Divas.

Shortly after the show abruptly closed without a planned final performance (highly unusual for long-running Vegas shows), Caesars confirmed the closure was due to the charity money issue. Shortly after that, on July 3, Marino admitted that the money intended for charity actually wasn't sent to Make-A-Wish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Marino

As some are aware, I have historically given a portion of the proceeds from the sales of certain ‘Divas Las Vegas’ merchandise to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, as well as incorporating them into special events like my Celebrity Roast held at the Stratosphere Hotel in which all of the proceeds and donations were given to them personally. I’m saddened to say that due to my own negligence, Make-a-Wish has not received a check from me for some time. I am personally embarrassed and ashamed. I take full responsibility and am sincerely apologetic for this situation. I have confirmed the figure which I would have customarily donated to them from a percentage of my merchandise sales and have offered to substantially increase that many times over. Make-a-Wish is an important charity and my favorite in the world because it lifts the hearts and spirits of children desperately in need of joy, comfort, and compassion. I hope my mistake will not prevent others from donating generously to this organization and I pray that I will be able to work with them for many years to come. Numerous other false allegations have been circulated, they are inaccurate; ‘Divas’ agreed with Caesars to terminate the production which had been performed 7 days a week. I personally want to state that Caesars Entertainment and the ‘Divas Las Vegas’ show has always maintained a very positive and professional working relationship. I also want to go on record and state that the last 8 years of performing at The LINQ Hotel has been nothing less than a wonderful and amazing experience for both myself and my cast. Caesars is a great organization and it was my honor to provide the ‘Divas’ Show at The LINQ for so many years.

He's telling the truth that Divas mutually agreed to terminate its contract with Caesars, but that doesn't mean much. It simply means that both sides agreed to end their relationship without either party suing the other for breach of contract. In reality, he was kicked out of The LINQ over this matter.

Unrelated to this, Marino was also unhappy with Caesars and The LINQ for quite some time. He felt they weren't promoting the show enough, and was irritated that he was playing second fiddle to magician Mat Franco, who was signed to perform at The LINQ in 2015. Franco was given Marino's better nighttime slot four days a week, while Marino was moved to 4pm on those days. In addition, the theater itself was renamed "Mat Franco Theater", which insulted Marino. When on stage, Marino would welcome the audience to "The Linq Theater" and would never mention Franco's name.

Caesars reportedly fired various employees at The LINQ over this matter, prior to completely closing the show.

However, Caesars considers "this matter closed" and will not be pursuing it any further.

It is unlikely that the charity was being stiffed "due to negligence" because the failure to donate only benefited Marino (it wasn't embezzled by employees), and Marino repeatedly promoted the charity-related merchandise at his shows every day. It would be hard for Marino to claim that he "forgot" to donate given how he talked about Make-A-Wish daily. He also did not blame any employees under him for forgetting to donate, so it seems likely that Marino discovered at some point that he could make extra money by pretending to sell merchandise for charity, and simply keep the money. Now that he's been caught, blaming his own "negligence" is really his only way out.

He claims that he will return to the Strip in the fall, but I doubt any large company will sign him. He will probably have to play in some independent shithole property.

He's the Las Vegas Review Journal article about it: https://www.reviewjournal.com/entert...rity-upheaval/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17660-Dude-Looks-Like-a-Scammer-(and-a-lady)-quot-Frank-Marino-s-Divas-quot-show-at-The-LINQ-closed-by-Caesars-after-Marino-apparently-stole-charity-moneyPhil Hellmuth wins 15th Bracelethttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17632-Phil-Hellmuth-wins-15th-Bracelet&goto=newpost
Fri, 13 Jul 2018 01:22:17 GMTHellmuth took down his 15th bracelet last night. Is there any doubt that this guy is the greatest poker player of all time? The guy has so many haters but 15 bracelets is just insane and he seems to be getting better with age.
Hellmuth overcame so much adversity and criticism this summer over a host of things and to have the mental toughness to extend his world record is an otherworldly accomplishmemt. Congrats Phil.Hellmuth took down his 15th bracelet last night. Is there any doubt that this guy is the greatest poker player of all time? The guy has so many haters but 15 bracelets is just insane and he seems to be getting better with age.

Hellmuth overcame so much adversity and criticism this summer over a host of things and to have the mental toughness to extend his world record is an otherworldly accomplishmemt. Congrats Phil.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessBiffCo99https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17632-Phil-Hellmuth-wins-15th-BraceletCharles Oakley tries to pull a fast one at the Cosmopolitian and gets busted by NGC agentshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17629-Charles-Oakley-tries-to-pull-a-fast-one-at-the-Cosmopolitian-and-gets-busted-by-NGC-agents&goto=newpost
Thu, 12 Jul 2018 19:58:15 GMTApparently Charles Oakley was having a bad night at the BJ tables.. Maybe he should talk to JStat or Druff about how to card count because doing what he did is not only illegal its just plain stupid when the eye in the sky is always watching.. Apparently according to the affidavit filed Oakley was caught trying to minimize his bet at a BJ table when he had $100 on the table for the hand.. He was caught when tape was reviewed and arrested by an NGC agent and booked into the Clark County Detention Center Sunday Evening.. While a sentence of 1-6 yrs is possible on the charges of "committing or attempting to commit a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment" its likely to be resolved with a fine and I assume restitution to the Casino in the form of the rest of the bet he removed at the time.

For those who may have forgotten Oakley was the same NBA player whos had run ins with the law before most notably when he was charged with Disorderly Conduct after going after the Owner of the NY Nicks at MSG calling him several choice words and was escorted from MSG by the NYPD.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessftpjesushttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17629-Charles-Oakley-tries-to-pull-a-fast-one-at-the-Cosmopolitian-and-gets-busted-by-NGC-agentsGuy combines two stacks in one drophttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17606-Guy-combines-two-stacks-in-one-drop&goto=newpost
Mon, 09 Jul 2018 20:12:10 GMT

Something I have never seen before: playing @wsop ⁦@onedrop⁩. Floorman and 3 security pull a guy from his seat at my table. He was cheating by entering under two names and combining stacks. Nice job ⁦@WSOPTD⁩ and staff to catch this with so many tables in action.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessCall_Stationhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17606-Guy-combines-two-stacks-in-one-dropBoris Becker declared bankrupthttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17518-Boris-Becker-declared-bankrupt&goto=newpost
Mon, 25 Jun 2018 17:08:49 GMTTennis champion and team partypoker member declared bankrupt last year is now claiming diplomatic immunity from his debts.Tennis champion and team partypoker member declared bankrupt last year is now claiming diplomatic immunity from his debts.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesssaxasingerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17518-Boris-Becker-declared-bankruptAlex Foxen and Kristen Bicknell were 3-handed at the MSPT final table. Did they collude/soft play?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17494-Alex-Foxen-and-Kristen-Bicknell-were-3-handed-at-the-MSPT-final-table-Did-they-collude-soft-play&goto=newpost
Wed, 20 Jun 2018 10:09:50 GMTAwkward situation this week at the $5k MSPT Main Event.

If you don't feel like watching the video, Foxen made it 115k on the button when the blinds were 25k/50k/25k, and it was 3-handed. Foxen had JJ. Bicknell had AA in the BB and three bet to 400k, which Foxen called.

Foxen then flopped a set on an otherwise safe J54 board.

Bicknell bet 200k on the flop, Foxen called. This was already a bit suspect in a pot which was almost a million.

Then the turn brough a K, and Bicknell checked, then called a 375,000 bet by Foxen.

The river was a 3 (no flush possible), and Bicknell check-folded to Foxen's 600k bet.

As soon as that hand was played I knew there would be an insane amount of criticism,” said Foxen. “I understand if it was someone I wasn’t entirely sure, I’m sure the same goes for Krissy, if she wasn’t entirely sure about the way I thought about this spot specifically you can’t fold the hand. But when she knows and I know exactly how the other one is thinking it’s a spot that’s weird. You put ICM on top of that and you have to fold everything but kings on that river.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kristen Bicknell

Kahle was really short. Regardless of who it was, two chip leaders don’t want to get in a big battle when there’s a short stack. On the river I have aces, maybe he has ace-king but I block that hand. I don’t think he’s bluffing queens. Preflop I think he has nines, tens or better. I don’t think he bets the turn with those hands. I thought he probably had aces, ace-king, kings or jacks. I don’t really do well on the river against those hands. I thought he had zero bluffs.

I call bullshit.

While I don't think they necessarily planned to collude, I think both wanted to stay out of each other's way, and let the third guy bust, especially because he was short. Had they been strangers, perhaps they would have taken a more aggressive line. However, two people in a relationship (who may have swapped action) are much less likely to play hard against one another and possibly allow the 3rd guy to move up one pay spot.

While I partially believe their explanation (namely, that both recognized that they each had big hands), I think once they realized this, they also both realized they should keep each other in the tournament.

What do you guys think?
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17494-Alex-Foxen-and-Kristen-Bicknell-were-3-handed-at-the-MSPT-final-table-Did-they-collude-soft-playArthur McFarland, owner of WSOP School of Poker (wsopsop.com) accused of scamminghttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17463-Arthur-McFarland-owner-of-WSOP-School-of-Poker-(wsopsop-com)-accused-of-scamming&goto=newpost
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 10:16:28 GMTThe WSOP School of Poker appeared to be affiliated with the WSOP. From what I can tell, it wasn't. However, it is unclear whether or not they had permission to use the WSOP name, as it was reported to me that they were holding classes in casinos right before WSOP Circuit events.

The WSOP does indeed have an official poker training program called "WSOP Academy", but that service has not been involved in any scandals, and is separate from this.

WSOP School of Poker seems to be a private business, run by a guy named Arthur McFarland.

It had an impressive list of poker pros teaching for it, via a brand called "Zen Poker Mentoring".

While some (Melanie Weisner, Dutch Boyd, Layne Flack) have checkered pasts, most of these people have good reputations in the poker world. I do not believe that any of these pros were involved in the scam, and were probably victims of the whole thing, as well.

It is unclear to me if Zen Poker Mentoring and the WSOP School of Poker are the same thing, or if they were simply associated. However, McFarland was definitely part of both.

There were actual classes held.

A guy named Matt contacted me and told me that he had purchased lessons with Brian Rast through the site, but never received them.

Quote:

Hi Dan Druff,

I talked to a nice guy at Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, Scott, about a month or so ago and he said you might be able to help me out. I paid for a Poker class on November 27th 2016 for a Poker prep class to be held at Horseshoe Casino on April 27th 2017. I paid $297 and the payment was processed by Zen Poker Mentoring. As the day approached, I was excited to take my class. I looked on their website and it was nowhere to be found. I called them several times and finally the day before the class, Arthur "Ace" McFarland, called me back to tell me that it was cancelled due to the MD gaming commission wouldn't allow the class to go on unless it was free to the public. He offered me a free class in vegas or a free in home session with a pro at their home in vegas. He said he would email me after the call, I got no such email. Since then the website has shut down and Zen poker mentoring's site has shut down. Zen poker mentoring was owned by Brian Rast so I have sent him 3 emails through his website. I have not gotten a response. I also tried to call my credit card and they said it has been too long since the initial transaction to dispute the charges.

Can you help me at all? Thanks. I can email my receipt to you if that will help.

Matt S****

Here is what Brian wrote to him, after a long delay:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Rast

Matt, I'm sorry this happened to you. Arthur McFarland was the owner and CEO of WSOPSOP. I am owed a large sum of money from him right now regarding many things with that business, including but not limited to not being paid for the last class I ran, which hasn't been operating for a while now. The last time I tried to call him it seems like he changed cell phones as his old number isn't working. I don't know where he is or what he's doing, but if you find out then I'd like to know as well. -Brian

Ouch.

I believe Rast, for what it's worth. However, the $297 is a small amount of money, and given that Rast seems to have owned the company (or at least Zen Poker Mentoring) with McFarland, my opinion is that Rast should just pay the guy back, even if it wasn't his fault.

Anyway, the WSOPSOP website (wsopsop.com) has gone down, and in fact the domain expired.

It does appear that Arthur McFarland has flown the coop.

I will be doing some research whether the WSOP actually gave him permission to use that name, and will post my findings here.

Anyone else scammed by McFarland -- whether a pro or a would-be student -- may post here or contact me directly with further info.

If Arthur McFarland is reading this, please contact me so we can get this squared away with the alleged victims, and I will remove this post when everyone appears to be made whole.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17463-Arthur-McFarland-owner-of-WSOP-School-of-Poker-(wsopsop-com)-accused-of-scammingGlobal Poker - Force selected to trial Worldpay - PP option gonehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17427-Global-Poker-Force-selected-to-trial-Worldpay-PP-option-gone&goto=newpost
Mon, 11 Jun 2018 22:16:07 GMTI have verified my account previously on Global and have cashed out many times. I put in another Cashout request early Sunday morning. 24 hours later this is the email i received....

Cassi (Global Poker)

Jun 11, 3:37 PM AWST

Hello xxxxx,

We hope this email finds you well.

You are among the first group of customers selected to trial Worldpay, the world's leading payment processor whom we are currently trialling a relationship with. In the interest of this trial being successful, from today you will only be able to make purchases and cash outs using Worldpay.

Furthermore, your bank account details are required to process your cash out. Please fill up our bank details form through the following link, and attach the two pieces of identification requested above in order to proceed with your request:

Congratulations on your winnings and thank you for playing at Global Poker!
Best Regards,
Cassi
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessincognito81https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17427-Global-Poker-Force-selected-to-trial-Worldpay-PP-option-goneMore Angles At Live At The Bikehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17410-More-Angles-At-Live-At-The-Bike&goto=newpost
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 03:12:29 GMTfirst harry pulls some shady shit, now that scumbag mike...

jesus Christ why the fuck would you ever play with these assholes? they're obvious fish, but to put up with this shit...gimmie a break...

not excusing the angle mikey tried to pull, but feldmon is a fucking moron for playing in these games as a producer of the show...WAAAAAAAAAAAY too many conflicts of interest there...

the floor is yours druff...
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessGambleBotsChafedPenishttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17410-More-Angles-At-Live-At-The-BikeCell Phone Charger FraudAlert: Chicago Joey EXPOSES the shady/aggressive cell phone charger salesmen in the Rio hallwayhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17361-Cell-Phone-Charger-FraudAlert-Chicago-Joey-EXPOSES-the-shady-aggressive-cell-phone-charger-salesmen-in-the-Rio-hallway&goto=newpost
Mon, 04 Jun 2018 23:23:07 GMTFirst off, props to Joey for doing this. He's come a long way since his softball throwing days of 2016.

Second, note that Brandon and I raised issue with this situation last year, and we actually got it (temporarily) corrected.

But they're back with a vengeance, and this time Chicago Joey is taking them on:

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17361-Cell-Phone-Charger-FraudAlert-Chicago-Joey-EXPOSES-the-shady-aggressive-cell-phone-charger-salesmen-in-the-Rio-hallwayNicholas Palma accused of stiffing players on stakes, lying to YouStakers, and even rapehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17359-Nicholas-Palma-accused-of-stiffing-players-on-stakes-lying-to-YouStakers-and-even-rape&goto=newpost
Mon, 04 Jun 2018 21:38:54 GMTToday, MA based poker pro Tim Reilly put MTT regular Nicholas Palma on blast after Palma was accused by of stiffing him on paying back stakes, and using stakes from other players for MTTs to pay off old debts.

Other pros have also come out as potential victims, including Allen Kessler. Palma was also seen by Mike Dentale playing BJ with 80K in front of him the other day as well. Looks like the scammatar might be in Palma's cards. He has however responded saying he paid Kessler back as well as commenting on the other debts:

The Poker Brat posted an ad on YouStake, a poker staking platform, seeking a 30 percent investment in Event #2, $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty. Poker staking is common especially at the high stakes levels, but Hellmuth’s approach has many questioning his character and intelligence.

Hellmuth is asking for a 1.8 markup from investors on YouStake, which means a $1,000 investment, for example, would cost the buyer $1,800 (18 percent of $10,000) while only returning 10 percent of Phil’s payout if he cashes.

Hellmuth has gotten futher shit over the turbo event from various players on twitter as he (as always) showed up fashionably late, blinding off 25% of his stack, then immediately gave up another 60k to Steffen Sontheimer, then call/folded down to 10bb when he was busted out by Reinker Kempe. Of course, all of this was followed by a Hellmuth rant where he said these weren't even the best players, talked crap on the Germans, the best players don't travel the world to play high rollers, called them a fraternity where "these guys play for very little of themselves", and finished with "he was playing at the highest level".

The markup discussion was always a big debate in the poker scene, but this was the first one in a while where people flipped their shit over it, especially after Hellmuth's less than optimal play today. Also LOL to any investor who pays that, but to each his own
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17325-Hellmuth-raked-by-pros-over-Charging-WSOP-Investors-1-8-Markuphttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17312-UB-cheater-Greg-Pierson-s-Iovation-company-to-be-acquired-by-TransUnion&goto=newpost
Sun, 27 May 2018 08:05:06 GMThttps://www.bizjournals.com/portland...portlands.html

Quote:

Greg Pierson founded anti-fraud technology company Iovation to help organize the “good guys.” It is now being acquired by TransUnion.

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17237-FL-Poker-Pro-Bradley-Rueben-involved-fatal-car-crash-flees-scene-blames-ediblesJack Casino Cincinnati Marked cards!https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17179-Jack-Casino-Cincinnati-Marked-cards!&goto=newpost
Wed, 09 May 2018 13:28:12 GMTAn issue came up at Jack casino about 3-4 weeks ago when we came in to play poker at Jack casino in Cincinnati, the dealers were all hand shuffling one deck of cards. Usually when hand shuffling they still use 2 decks of cards but only swap decks every half hour, this time they only had one deck.
I asked the dealers what was going on that said they weren’t sure they were told to hand shuffle. This went on for more than a week, so I asked the floor man what was going on he said they had an issue with the cards they received and couldn’t use the “red” decks and were waiting on new cards.
After further investigation the problem turns out to be much worse, turns out a player at Jack Cincinnati named Bob (I’ll withhold last name) went to the casino management a few months ago and informed them that the “red” deck of cards are marked in a way from the manufacture that he could see what every card was. They told him they have no evidence of this and dismissed him. He went back to them again a couple weeks later and told them they need to correct the issue, again he was dismissed by Jack Casino. He then went to the Ohio gaming commission who got involved they brought in the manufacture which I believe is Copag from Italy. So Jack then had a meeting with Bob and the Card manufacture and poker room managers, Bob proved he could in fact tell what the cards are so they pulled all the “red” decks from play. Rumor has it they won’t have replacement decks until June in the meantime they still hand shuffle.
I haven’t heard if Jack Cleveland has the same issue.
I haven’t had the chance to talk with Bob directly about his account but my sister did and thanked him for taking care of this. She did speak with him about the facts according to her this took over a month to resolve.An issue came up at Jack casino about 3-4 weeks ago when we came in to play poker at Jack casino in Cincinnati, the dealers were all hand shuffling one deck of cards. Usually when hand shuffling they still use 2 decks of cards but only swap decks every half hour, this time they only had one deck.

I asked the dealers what was going on that said they weren’t sure they were told to hand shuffle. This went on for more than a week, so I asked the floor man what was going on he said they had an issue with the cards they received and couldn’t use the “red” decks and were waiting on new cards.

After further investigation the problem turns out to be much worse, turns out a player at Jack Cincinnati named Bob (I’ll withhold last name) went to the casino management a few months ago and informed them that the “red” deck of cards are marked in a way from the manufacture that he could see what every card was. They told him they have no evidence of this and dismissed him. He went back to them again a couple weeks later and told them they need to correct the issue, again he was dismissed by Jack Casino. He then went to the Ohio gaming commission who got involved they brought in the manufacture which I believe is Copag from Italy. So Jack then had a meeting with Bob and the Card manufacture and poker room managers, Bob proved he could in fact tell what the cards are so they pulled all the “red” decks from play. Rumor has it they won’t have replacement decks until June in the meantime they still hand shuffle.

I haven’t heard if Jack Cleveland has the same issue.

I haven’t had the chance to talk with Bob directly about his account but my sister did and thanked him for taking care of this. She did speak with him about the facts according to her this took over a month to resolve.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessSpikehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17179-Jack-Casino-Cincinnati-Marked-cards!Gordon Vayo Suing PokerStars for Confiscating 2017 SCOOP Winningshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17172-Gordon-Vayo-Suing-PokerStars-for-Confiscating-2017-SCOOP-Winnings&goto=newpost
Tue, 08 May 2018 22:39:27 GMT

Quote:

Gordon Vayo, most famously known for finishing as the runner-up in the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event, has filed a lawsuit against PokerStars, alleging that the online poker site confiscated his winnings from a 2017 Spring Championship of Online Poker tournament after determining Vayo had been playing from the United States.

Vayo, a poker pro with over $6.2 million in lifetime earnings, is claiming that PokerStars has denied him his winnings from his victory in Event #1 of PokerStars 2017 SCOOP. It was a score worth nearly $700,000. Vayo, who makes his primary residence in California, asserts that despite having played the event at his part-time Canadian residence, is being denied his earnings based on PokerStars suspicions he was actually breaking the Terms Of Service and playing the event from the United States.

The lawsuit brought by Vayo against Rational Entertainment, the parent company of PokerStars, claims Fraud & Deceit, False Advertising and Money Had and Received, among other charges. All of the complaints are in an effort to recover the amount of $692,460 (plus 10% annual interest), which Vayo has been denied.

This bet (related to the NFL draft) was a clear winner, yet William Hill graded it a loser, and other William Hill books (such as ones in Tahoe) also graded it a loser.

No explanation was given as to why the bet lost, even though it was 100% a clear winner (it wasn't close or subjective).

Gaming got involved, and now most people are getting paid.

I'm still trying to figure this out.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17140-William-Hill-sportsbook-(in-Vegas-and-elsewhere)-inexplicably-refuse-to-pay-a-winning-prop-bet-ticketIs ACR Solvent?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17129-Is-ACR-Solvent&goto=newpost
Tue, 01 May 2018 01:49:57 GMTWhat are the odds that this shit bag poker site could actually pay out every balance owed if that day came?

Currently you can't even launch their software let alone play.

The site has been unplayable for the last week which they've been blaming on DDoS attacks which most agree is bullshit.

The Sunday Million has a 250k overlay every week along with the majority of their other guaranteed MTTs.

People on real grinders facebook and 2p2 selling balances at 50%.

I won't be selling mine but I'm cashing off as soon as I can get back into my account.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessBuSTMeANuThttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17129-Is-ACR-SolventGet rich quick with slotomania app!!!https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17101-Get-rich-quick-with-slotomania-app!!!&goto=newpost
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 10:25:32 GMThttp://24-7.daily-com.com/t56/contes...95674f8698.jpg
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessCrackPipes and Kakfightshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17101-Get-rich-quick-with-slotomania-app!!!Shifty Aussie Crown Casino Tampers with its Video Poker Machines to rip off customershttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17099-Shifty-Aussie-Crown-Casino-Tampers-with-its-Video-Poker-Machines-to-rip-off-customers&goto=newpost
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 03:35:47 GMTHow degenerate do you have to be to even want to use one of these picks.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-24/crown-casino-picks-new-poker-machine-claims/9691494How degenerate do you have to be to even want to use one of these picks.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-2...claims/9691494
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessCrackPipes and Kakfightshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17099-Shifty-Aussie-Crown-Casino-Tampers-with-its-Video-Poker-Machines-to-rip-off-customersMan murders business partner, pretends to be victim traveling around the world in subsequent e-mailshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17064-Man-murders-business-partner-pretends-to-be-victim-traveling-around-the-world-in-subsequent-e-mails&goto=newpost
Sun, 22 Apr 2018 18:30:19 GMTNot sure how old this story is . Seems a ton of stuff was going on here . Who is the poker player? Anybody have any ideas?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/the-mystery-of-the-killer-vacation/ar-AAw1TEy?ocid=spartanntpNot sure how old this story is . Seems a ton of stuff was going on here . Who is the poker player? Anybody have any ideas?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...cid=spartanntp
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessGookieheimowitzhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17064-Man-murders-business-partner-pretends-to-be-victim-traveling-around-the-world-in-subsequent-e-mailshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17043-Dutch-Gaming-Authority-rules-popular-games-like-FIFA-18-violate-gambling-rules-with-quot-loot-boxes-quot&goto=newpost
Fri, 20 Apr 2018 01:02:05 GMTConsidering a discussion of "loot boxes" being a gambling entity from a previous podcast, interesting news coming from the Netherlands as this is the first time I have heard of a state actually taking regulatory action against a company for these practices.

The game in question here is quite popular internationally: EA SPorts' FIFA 18 (Soccer).

The Dutch Gaming Authority has ruled that FIFA 18 Ultimate Team loot-box mechanics violates the country's Better Gaming Act law and EA has eight weeks to bring the game to compliance to avoid fines/banning sales.

Considering there are also folks who run sites that just sell rare items found in games, never mind even these loot boxes, one must wonder when and if more states and nation follow suit and try to further regulate this space. I do know Senators in Congress have explored the issue.

Quote:

Popular games violate Dutch gambling rules. They have elements in them that can also be found in the gambling world, judges the Gaming Authority.

It is about the phenomenon of loot boxes . These are treasure chests that players can buy with extra items in them, such as clothing or weapons. Players who buy the treasure boxes do not know in advance what object they will receive. Who wants to get a very rare object, has to buy a lot of treasure boxes.

The Dutch Gaming Authority investigated ten popular games with these loot boxes . In four of the games examined, digital prices were sold for euro via external trading places.

Because the prices can be traded, they get an economic value. Players can earn money if they get a rare item. As a result, the games violate the rules of chance.

(article in Dutch)

https://nos.nl/artikel/2228041-popul...gokregels.html
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17043-Dutch-Gaming-Authority-rules-popular-games-like-FIFA-18-violate-gambling-rules-with-quot-loot-boxes-quotVegas Sports handicapper Missinghttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17029-Vegas-Sports-handicapper-Missing&goto=newpost
Tue, 17 Apr 2018 20:33:10 GMTTodd, You know of this guy? Maybe he can find your rotary phone on the mountain and call for help.

https://nypost.com/2018/04/17/big-ti...ium=SocialFlow
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDannyDeadWoodhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?17029-Vegas-Sports-handicapper-MissingSuspected live poker cheatinghttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16981-Suspected-live-poker-cheating&goto=newpost
Thu, 12 Apr 2018 03:17:28 GMTGuys no idea if this is the right place for this but it’s worth a shot. Sketchy player older guy who seems to be winning an obscene amount of money playing an extremely weird style. The first time I played with him my instinct told me that something isn’t right.....I may sound stupid saying it but all I can base it off is his looks, the way he plays, his mannerisms, and abnormal amount of electronics. I play at talking stick casino and we play a 3-5 no limit game.....the first thing that through me off was his sunglasses....absurdly large and he wears regular glasses underneath them....second observation is the fact that he sits with what appears to be a cell phone that is always far off to the right of him in which he leaves weird phone applications running without ever actually touching the phone. When he’s facing a decision he seems to look at the cards, the dealer the muck ect.....I’ll post pictures of the player and the app he’s been running now. If anyone has any input on live cheating or what this guy could be doing please let me know. I have been playing live for 13 years and this is first time at a casino that I have ever had this suspicion.Guys no idea if this is the right place for this but it’s worth a shot. Sketchy player older guy who seems to be winning an obscene amount of money playing an extremely weird style. The first time I played with him my instinct told me that something isn’t right.....I may sound stupid saying it but all I can base it off is his looks, the way he plays, his mannerisms, and abnormal amount of electronics. I play at talking stick casino and we play a 3-5 no limit game.....the first thing that through me off was his sunglasses....absurdly large and he wears regular glasses underneath them....second observation is the fact that he sits with what appears to be a cell phone that is always far off to the right of him in which he leaves weird phone applications running without ever actually touching the phone. When he’s facing a decision he seems to look at the cards, the dealer the muck ect.....I’ll post pictures of the player and the app he’s been running now. If anyone has any input on live cheating or what this guy could be doing please let me know. I have been playing live for 13 years and this is first time at a casino that I have ever had this suspicion.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessjfava16https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16981-Suspected-live-poker-cheatingHPT Westgate (Las Vegas) offers half-price buyin at dinner break in order to avoid being on the hook for an overlayhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16955-HPT-Westgate-(Las-Vegas)-offers-half-price-buyin-at-dinner-break-in-order-to-avoid-being-on-the-hook-for-an-overlay&goto=newpost
Mon, 09 Apr 2018 09:21:34 GMTWhat a fucking mess the once-revered HPT (Heartland Poker Tour) has become.

The Westgate Las Vegas is the former Las Vegas Hilton. In the 1980s, when I used to stay there, it was a pretty big deal, and was the biggest hotel in the world.

It has since become a has-been, mostly due to its inconvenient off-strip location, as well as its age and uninteresting theme.

The HPT has a stop there right now. The Main Event began on April 6, had a $500k guarantee, and the buyin was $1650. This is the first time the HPT has been in Vegas since 2014.

First, there was a small controversy over the $1650 buyin. Allen Kessler noticed that the rake was $210, which is the highest rake ever charged on a $1500-type event in history (aside from another HPT event in Chicago, apparently, which charged $230)!

But the best was yet to come...

Recall the $500k guarantee for the event.

First off, it's a fake guarantee. The guarantee only takes place if they get 300 or more entries, which means there's no overlay unless there's 300, 301, or 302 players, because the break-even mark for a $1650 event with a $500k is 303 players. (That is, 303 * 1650 is just about exactly $500,000).

While it's true that $495,000 in buyins will have been paid, and the Westgate will only be out $5000 to complete the guarantee, they will also be out all of their operational expenses, because the $210 entry fee from each buyin will end up going to the players.

And that's apparently what happened at the Westgate. The dinner break came on Day 1B (April 7), which was the last opportunity to buy in for the event. It seemed they would end up somewhere around 300, which was a nightmare for a small room like the Westgate. Why? Because 300 players paying $210 in fees adds up to $63,000. And the Westgate was going to be out that $63,000 in fees (plus the $5000 they would owe the guarantee), due to barely triggering the guarantee.

That's when they decided to try something unorthodox, and very unethical:

In reality, they were offering a $1650 buyin event (with a full stack) for the low, low price of $825! 50% off!

They sent popular vlogger TheTrooper97 out to announce this on Twitter.

They also made an announcement in the Westgate sportsbook that they were discounting the buyin by 50%.

Here's Ben Yu's account of what happened:

One player decided to do some on-the-spot investigative reporting.

That stuff will be in the next post...
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16955-HPT-Westgate-(Las-Vegas)-offers-half-price-buyin-at-dinner-break-in-order-to-avoid-being-on-the-hook-for-an-overlayTam Nyguyen is a shillhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16906-Tam-Nyguyen-is-a-shill&goto=newpost
Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:59:23 GMTThis is the guy who heavily promoted Jao Poker.
He is now jumping the Jao ship and jumping on another new soon-to-be-labeled failed poker site
Crypto poker club.
Attachment 38092 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=38092)
Attachment 38093 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=38093)
LOL @ the 1/3 less bad beats comment he makes.
This guy continues to put peoples money in jeopardy by promoting these sites that are highly likely to scam people and run off with their money.This is the guy who heavily promoted Jao Poker.

He is now jumping the Jao ship and jumping on another new soon-to-be-labeled failed poker site

Crypto poker club.

LOL @ the 1/3 less bad beats comment he makes.

This guy continues to put peoples money in jeopardy by promoting these sites that are highly likely to scam people and run off with their money.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16906-Tam-Nyguyen-is-a-shillhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16880-Thomas-Kremser-stealing-EPT-side-event-player-s-money&goto=newpost
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 06:45:42 GMTIn this interview (in Finnish) with seasoned poker reporter Juhani Tyrisevä, he brings up the topic of Thomas Kremser. The interview is published on Pokerisivut which is Finland's biggest poker community, and for whom Tyrisevä has reported from live events for since 2006. For those of you that don't remember, Thomas Kremser was accused of pocketing money from EPT side event's after players noticed four buyins had gone missing in a 5k euro side event in EPT Madrid 2011.

Nothing ever came to light of this story. Investigative journalism is an unheard of in mainstream poker media.

I took the time to translate the part about Kremser in the interview:

Any other unforgettable events you have witnessed?

[Paragraph about the 2010 EPT Berlin robbery]

"Springing to mind is also a gig at EPT Madrid, when Pokerstars sacked tournament director Thomas Kremser. Stars had for some unfathomable reason made a seven year long deal with Kremser for the arrangement of EPT tournaments. At the time, his seventh year was underway, and in Stars' mind they were paying Kremser way too much. They wanted to negotiate a, for them, better contract, alternatively discontinue it. Kremser then got caught for a considerable swindle, and his career with the EPT ended then and there. Nobody knows for sure, was the decision to end the contract made before the theft was revealed, but the incident itself was clear cut. The case was discovered thanks to Juha Helppi. Helppi was one of three remaining players in a 5000 euro side event that was about to go on break for the day. The players were discussing a deal between them, when Helppi noticed, there were 80,000 chips more in play than there should be according to the number of entrants listed on the tournament info screen. It was undeniably clear that four players buyins had been embezzled from the prize pool. Pokerstars restored the 20,000 euro to the prize pool, but it is unknown, did that money come from Kremser or the company's own pockets.

Kremser with wife, and a gentleman named Gerard manually, between the three of them, handled all EPT cash transactions for seven years, until Pokerstars developed a computerised system for it. My careful estimate is that Kremser and his collaborators have stolen hundreds of thousands euros along the way. I have no evidence, but by Kremser and company's methods it was in my opinion easy to embezzle money from specifically large field side events. In these events it was more difficult to keep track of the actual numbers of entrants. In the main events Mad Harper ran such a tight ship that Kremser never had the chance to cabal. Harper made the players list herself and always debriefed the floor to make sure everything was ran to precision. To Kremser and his companions, skimming off the top in side events that no one was watching over was much less riskful. At that time all buyins were made cash in hand, so the process in question is no more difficult than handing the chips to the player and putting this buyin in your own pockets."

The tournament where Kremser finally was caught had only 123 player. Thus four buyins missing should be easily noticed.

"The more players, the less the risk of getting caught. In that last tournament there were, besides few players, also big money in question, and so Kremser finally got busted. This is just speculation, but I believe that from the EPT's thousand and two thousand euro side events, hundreds of thousands of euros have gone missing along the way. Nobody can of course know for sure, other than Kremser and his partners in crime. Maybe it is somewhat telling that Kremser had the peculiar hobby of collecting sports cars."
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessklinzhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16880-Thomas-Kremser-stealing-EPT-side-event-player-s-moneyHigh Stakes Pro Ali Fazeli Accused Of Wire Fraud In $6M+ Schemehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16824-High-Stakes-Pro-Ali-Fazeli-Accused-Of-Wire-Fraud-In-6M-Scheme&goto=newpost
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 05:56:43 GMThttps://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/22618-feds-say-that-poker-pro-used-ticket-scam-to-fund-aria-high-roller-buy-ins
---Quote---
The feds allege that a high-stakes poker player funded trips to the Aria and Bellagio casinos on the Las Vegas Strip through a ticket scam.
A news release Thursday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said that Seyed Reza Ali Fazeli, 49, has been indicted on wire fraud charges that allege a $6.2 million scheme that bilked investors who were promised “large profits” from the resale of tickets to popular sporting events.
Fazeli allegedly ran a Las Vegas-based ticket business called Summit Entertainment, which also operated under the names onlinetickets.com and pacertickets.com. The operation ran from May 2016 to “at least May 2017,” the feds said.
Fazeli was able to get investors to fork over a combined $6.2 million so that he could purchase tickets to the 2017 Super Bowl and the 2018 World Cup, and then resell them at a profit.
However, according to the government, he never bought the tickets and instead used the money at the two Las Vegas casinos. Fazeli allegedly lied that unloading the tickets didn’t pan out because the NFL prohibited their resale and that he was working on a settlement with the NFL.
Fazeli cashed in 10 tournaments in 2016 with a buy-in of at least $25,000. All of them were at Aria. Nearly all of his $2.2 million in lifetime tournament earnings came in 2016. He didn’t cash in a single high-stakes tournament last year, but it’s unclear if he played.
Fazeli was arrested Feb. 14 and released on bond a day later. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Mar. 26. He could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
---End Quote---
https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-new...roller-buy-ins

Quote:

The feds allege that a high-stakes poker player funded trips to the Aria and Bellagio casinos on the Las Vegas Strip through a ticket scam.

A news release Thursday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said that Seyed Reza Ali Fazeli, 49, has been indicted on wire fraud charges that allege a $6.2 million scheme that bilked investors who were promised “large profits” from the resale of tickets to popular sporting events.

Fazeli allegedly ran a Las Vegas-based ticket business called Summit Entertainment, which also operated under the names onlinetickets.com and pacertickets.com. The operation ran from May 2016 to “at least May 2017,” the feds said.

Fazeli was able to get investors to fork over a combined $6.2 million so that he could purchase tickets to the 2017 Super Bowl and the 2018 World Cup, and then resell them at a profit.

However, according to the government, he never bought the tickets and instead used the money at the two Las Vegas casinos. Fazeli allegedly lied that unloading the tickets didn’t pan out because the NFL prohibited their resale and that he was working on a settlement with the NFL.

Fazeli cashed in 10 tournaments in 2016 with a buy-in of at least $25,000. All of them were at Aria. Nearly all of his $2.2 million in lifetime tournament earnings came in 2016. He didn’t cash in a single high-stakes tournament last year, but it’s unclear if he played.

Fazeli was arrested Feb. 14 and released on bond a day later. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Mar. 26. He could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Since around 2013 I have achived diamond status on WSOP.com and have gotten the diamond status card. I log on and lose around $3,000 in order to quickly get the diamond card again for this year & what do you know!? I get to the Rio and they have NO IDEA what I am talking about and after talking to various hosts they don't either! They are not honoring my diamond status on wsop.com for real life diamond! Remember Mitch Garber? Always in the past he was great on twitter responding quickly to anything but when I reached out about this I got crickets. They are silently scamming. Druff could you please elevate this to an high up if possible? My TR# is 19602732177. The people at the total rewards desk say the system takes time to update but it's been a month now and no diamond!

Ok guys I know everyone is aware of the poker criminal Carl Pion whom ripped off many poker pros (over 10 reached out to me). But don't forget the rat-faced scum that keeps saying "dm me if problem with Carl". Alain Vogel and his scam "company" diamond spade. It's going to fail anyway.

Common sense 101: if Alain Vogel was successful or legitimate in any way he would not be having con-men seek investors for a concept that everyone is to "prepay" $10,000 for a fake membership for, for fake events that will never happen.

Even with misusing the images of two pros his scam page has a mere 44 likes. No one here is stupid to fall for his nor Carl Pion's scams farther.

But if anyone asks about "Diamond Spade" scam, send them to me and in turn the 12-14 victims already out of pocket.

He tried to talk shit about me (nice try my legitimate business has been running since 2005) today to Gavin Smith and ol' G told him point blank his "business model" is retarded. R.I.P con-men schemes!

Reportedly they are soliciting investment money from people. with promises regarding a bunch of great events coming up. Memberships to the club are said to cost $10,000. I haven't seen proof of this, but my gut instinct is to believe it.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16785-Diamond-Spade-Club-High-end-Miami-based-VIP-club-for-rich-poker-players-or-scamPS dealer chat different than hand outcome. Anyone else experience this? Is this important?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16763-PS-dealer-chat-different-than-hand-outcome-Anyone-else-experience-this-Is-this-important&goto=newpost
Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:18:31 GMTSo I'm playing a PLO $3 Spin and Go. I have Tc 3h 4h Ad. Board comes As Kd Jc Ks 8c. I lose the hand legitimately, but the dealer chat says the opponent wins with Aces and Kings (which he had) and I lost with Aces and Jacks (which I hadn't). Obviously, I lost with Aces and Kings also. The opponent actually won with a Jack kicker (he had Ac Js 6d 3s).

SOOOO, the question is what can we say about dealer chat?

I posed this to PS live chat where upon they proceeded to research the wrong hand. Then, they said I lost the hand (which was not my point), and then said that live chat could not help with chat logs and that they would forward it to them and email me a response.

The "chat people" emailed me 30 minutes later and replied "Regarding your report of an incorrect summary being given, we were unable to confirm that."

Is there a veracity problem here when there is misdirection and PS themselves can't see what their chat reported? Combine this with the live chat misdirection and is PS trying to obfuscate anytime someone has an issue?

I attempted to take a cut and paste of the chat at the time. When I couldn't, I tried to screenshot, but the chat reset when a player was eliminated. AND THIS IS WHAT BOTHERS ME EVEN MORE, PS should know that chat can't be copied and that the chat resets when a player is eliminated. And yet, they try to tell me to do that when I have a problem! And then they can't go back to the chat themselves?!!

Is there any need to be concerned about the chat reporting a hand outcome incorrectly? Is there any need to be concerned about the live chat misdirection?

OBTW, please don't respond to the hands, especially if you don't understand PLO. And yes, I kept a log of the PS live chat and I have a copy of the email.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadiness50Cinquantahttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16763-PS-dealer-chat-different-than-hand-outcome-Anyone-else-experience-this-Is-this-importanthttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16701-Party-Poker-tournament-with-huge-overlay-quot-crashes-quot-and-they-won-t-honor-the-guarantee&goto=newpost
Sun, 04 Mar 2018 22:42:13 GMT

Apparently the casino and cash games were running, despite these "technical difficulties" with the tournament.

People were saying there was a $500,000 overlay.

Shameful.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16701-Party-Poker-tournament-with-huge-overlay-quot-crashes-quot-and-they-won-t-honor-the-guaranteeHarrah’s New Orleans will surreptitiously “trip” known players who don’t turn in a players’ card at the table.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16613-Harrah’s-New-Orleans-will-surreptitiously-“trip”-known-players-who-don’t-turn-in-a-players’-card-at-the-table&goto=newpost
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 17:00:06 GMTIf you know anything about the workings of Total Rewards, you probably know that turning in a players card when playing in the poker room is disastrous for your ADT (and thus future offers) if you show no other gaming activity on that particular day.

I recently spent a few months in NOLA for work and I played in the room at Harrah’s probably 3x/week on average.

Prior to spending that extended period there, I had a good ADT/MDV and was getting some nice offers. I obviously wanted this to continue, so I would make it a point to not turn in my card at a live poker table unless I also happened to be staying in the hotel, redeeming FP or a dining offer, playing machines, or some other situation where I was going to be “charged” ADT for that day anyway.

FWIW, the poker comps there are laughable. ($.17/hr in RC’s, and 34 TC’s/hr)

At any rate, all of a sudden in January my offers fell off a cliff. I expected some decline because I was redeeming prior offers and not playing as much as I had previously on those days, but we’re talking low 4 figures/month in FP down to $15 x 2.

I called my host, and she told me that there were “several days where I only played poker” showing on my play history and that’s what killed my offers.

I NEVER ONCE turned in my card at a poker table on a day in which I wouldn’t have been “tripped” for something else anyway.

I went to one of the floormen, who at first claimed ignorance, but upon being pressed further admitted that they will log in known players who don’t present cards “as a courtesy, because players often forget their TR cards.”

I immediately called bullshit, and asked him if there was some sort of direction from casino management to do this. The guy said he didn’t know, and seemed truly bewildered as to why I was making such a huge issue out of it.

I do believe that he legit didn’t understand the negative effect that said policy has on players who also play machines. I think the directive came from high above (without any explanation as to the reasoning behind it) and that the rank-and-file floor staff truly believe they’re helping the players out.

Nonetheless, this is an absolute BS policy, and it’s just another small way for Caesars to dilute the value of TR, which seems to be their primary mission these days.

There’s also a very good chance that this policy extends to other Caesars rooms, so if getting value out of TR means anything to you at all, beware.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessgo_buccoshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16613-Harrah’s-New-Orleans-will-surreptitiously-“trip”-known-players-who-don’t-turn-in-a-players’-card-at-the-tableAh, Leah! Obvious heads-up chip dump at WPT Fallsview allows Mike Leah to buy a titlehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16604-Ah-Leah!-Obvious-heads-up-chip-dump-at-WPT-Fallsview-allows-Mike-Leah-to-buy-a-title&goto=newpost
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 00:05:14 GMTPretty absurd story today out of WPT Fallsview (Niagara Falls, Canada).

Mike Leah was playing heads up with Ryan Yu at the Main Event. First place was $C451k, second was $C301k.

Here's the way the hands went down:

Quote:

Heads-Up Chip CountsThe players are taking an unscheduled break.

Ryan Yu - 10,800,000 (90 bb)
Mike Leah - 4,715,000 (39 bb)

Hand #94: Mike Leah Takes the Chip Lead

Ryan Yu raises to 4,000,000 from the button on the first hand of heads-up play, Mike Leah (pictured) reraises all in for 4,695,000 from the big blind, and Yu folds.

Mike Leah - 8,735,000
Ryan Yu - 6,780,000

Hand #95: Mike Leah

Mike Leah limps in from the button, and Ryan Yu raises to 5,000,000 from the big blind.

Leah reraises all in for 8,715,000 and Yu folds.

Mike Leah - 13,755,000
Ryan Yu - 1,760,000

Hand #96: Mike Leah

Ryan Yu raises to 1,700,000 from the button, and Mike Leah (pictured) pushes all in for 13,735,000 from the big blind.

Yu folds, and Leah captures this pot.

"When you're beat, you're beat!" says Yu.

Mike Leah - 15,475,000
Ryan Yu - 40,000

At that point, with Yu severely crippled, they auto-all-inned for a few hands, and Leah won.

These were all of the hands played heads up. As soon as Tim Rutherford busted in 3rd place, Leah and Yu took an "unscheduled break", obviously discussed the chip dump, then came back and blatantly did so.

Note that Yu had more than a 2:1 chip lead when heads up play started, and intentionally dumped the title to Leah!

WPT does not allow players to make deals.

The event is not televised, so that part will not be an issue.

Clearly this chip dump was done for one purpose only. Mike Leah wanted the WPT Title, and perhaps the Player of the Year points.

Since it was heads up, what's the big deal?

Well, a few things...

First off, Mike is cheating others in the Player of the Year race, as he really only earned 2nd place in reality. At the very least, WPT should take away his 1st place points and replace them with 2nd place points, so other people aren't affected by this.

Second, it just looks awful. This was the Main Event. How could they not know this would be reported on, and would make poker look terrible?

Third, it affects the play prior to that. While it seems the deal was discussed after the 3rd place finisher busted, what if it was discussed earlier? Then we have two players who knew that they only needed to survive to heads-up, while everyone else thought they were playing to win it. That's actually a fairly big strategy change, and it's not fair that only two players may have been aware of that. It's not unreasonable to believe that Mike and Ryan may have discussed the possibility of this earlier, and simply took the break to discuss how it would be accomplished.

Finally, it's breaking the rules. You may not like the WPT rules of no dealmaking, but those are the rules they set. If you don't like it, don't play. You can't play it and then decide to make up your own rules to replace the ones you don't like.

What's interesting is the fact that neither apparently thought this was wrong (or would look bad), as they both did it so blatantly. Both players are tournament regulars, and could have easily engineered a much more believable-looking chip dump, where likely no one would have even noticed. Instead, they did it in obnoxiously ridiculous fashion, almost as to give a big middle finger to the WPT and its no-dealmaking rule.

Here's a picture of Ryan Yu:

What do you guys think should happen to these two?

On a side note, this was likely not due to tax liabilities, as both players were Canadian. In Canada, only professional poker players are required to pay taxes on winnings, but most can massage the definition of "professional" and still pay no taxes on their wins. A good discussion of the Canadian poker tax situation is found in this article on Pokernews.

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16604-Ah-Leah!-Obvious-heads-up-chip-dump-at-WPT-Fallsview-allows-Mike-Leah-to-buy-a-titleChicagoJoey makes a video accusing ACR players multi-accounting/bots/collusionhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16553-ChicagoJoey-makes-a-video-accusing-ACR-players-multi-accounting-bots-collusion&goto=newpost
Sun, 04 Feb 2018 05:53:58 GMTYou see it all the time on Facebook and other poker forums. Fish making claims that "online poker is rigged." Rarely ever does a big name professional poker player, especially one that makes what I assume is most of their income on Online Poker.

ChicagoJoey aka Joey Ingram calls out several individual accounts that he believes are all being ran by 1 person. That 1 person will sit multiple accounts all at the same cash table, and play against unsuspecting players.

TAMPA, Fla. — The FBI and the Seminole Police Department are searching for an armed robber who stole cash from the poker room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.

Just after 2 a.m. on Friday, a man in his mid to late 20s who was armed with a handgun stole money from a cashier in the poker room of the casino.

Police say that no shots were fired and no one was injured.

The suspect took off on foot and headed south on Orient Road south of I-4.

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/r...k-hotel-casino
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessduped_samaritanhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16546-Seminole-Hardrock-Tampa-Poker-Room-gets-RobbedWould you trust Dan Fleyshman as a business mentor?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16487-Would-you-trust-Dan-Fleyshman-as-a-business-mentor&goto=newpost
Mon, 22 Jan 2018 07:06:53 GMT.....I mean after all he was the youngest person ever to own a public company at age 23......

He is selling a book called "How to set up your business for under $1000"

This came out in 2016, I mean how did I miss that?

https://buythisbook.com/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessMatt The Rathttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16487-Would-you-trust-Dan-Fleyshman-as-a-business-mentorWhy 888poker? Why?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16469-Why-888poker-Why&goto=newpost
Fri, 19 Jan 2018 19:46:36 GMTSo I am an American living in Germany and got a shot to play online poker. I want everyone to know outside the U.S. that 888 poker is a total hassle and WILL TAKE your low stakes deposits. How they advertise at the WSOP is beyond me.

Story:

- Open 888 account and deposit 200 U.S./179 Euro via a third party called Transferwise. Trasferwise gives the best exchange rates.
- 888 asks for documents to prove identity. I provide my passport and local address here in Germany.
- 888 freezes account because my local address doesn't agree with my address from Transferwise. This was due to me moving from a temporary address to my permanent address here in Germany.
- I provide my new address at the request of 888 poker.
- I provide additional documentation of utility bills at the request of 888 poker.
- They release my account, but it shows $0. I say WTF?
- They say they are returning my money. They haven't.

Why would 888 poker not want low stakes players? Why the hassle? Why would they walk away with my $200?

I don't know the answer to these questions. You get to decide. But FUCK 888 poker. Spread the word.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadiness50Cinquantahttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16469-Why-888poker-Whyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16454-I-ve-seen-it-all-screwed-out-of-a-high-hand&goto=newpost
Tue, 16 Jan 2018 03:08:14 GMTSo I'm playing at a south Florida dog track. Playing in a must move PLO game and we bust our player #4. New dealer comes in.... deals 1...2...3... hands.... in the process she drops $1 for rake and $2 for the jackpot.

On hand #4 the hero flops AAA44... scoups the pot high hand is called with 19 min to go for $200. Hand goes on the board.

Let me stop the story here.... $200 isn't a lot of money and the game is a 2-5-10 game that plays big so it's really an afterthought.

Three hands later the dealer realized she shouldn't be dropping the $2 jackpot three handed. Calls the floor.... says we need to go to the cameras and they need to return the $2 per person......floor goes to the replay booth takes he hand down and we end up getting $2 back.

11 minutes later the high hand rolls over..... I would have won it.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDalyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16454-I-ve-seen-it-all-screwed-out-of-a-high-handFBI: Borgata Poker Champ Thomas Dougher Is Atlantic City Bank Robberhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16367-FBI-Borgata-Poker-Champ-Thomas-Dougher-Is-Atlantic-City-Bank-Robber&goto=newpost
Thu, 04 Jan 2018 07:44:39 GMT
---Quote---
Luck Runs Out
On Friday, Dougher allegedly robbed the PNC Bank in Absecon, New Jersey, and was apprehended about an hour later at a nearby Quality Inn. Authorities allege it was his ninth robbery in four states. In addition to banks in New Jersey and New York, he supposedly also hit locations in Delaware and Pennsylvania, two of four states in the country that offer legal online poker.
Dougher’s current charges are for three bank robberies in Atlantic County. Surveillance from the Sun National Bank in Northfield, New Jersey, shows a cleanly-shaven suspect handing a teller a demand note last Tuesday, and on Saturday the same scene played out at a PNC Bank in Pleasantville.
In 2007, Dougher served time in federal prison for a string of bank robberies. He was released three years later.
“The successful cooperative investigation and uneventful arrest of Dougher, who previously served prison time for 11 robberies in 2007, is a testament to the importance of interaction between all levels of law enforcement from local to federal to achieve a common goal,” said Pleasantville Police Capt. Matt Hartman.
Police also found the car Dougher used, which had been stolen in Maryland, in the parking garage of Caesars Atlantic City casino.
Bank Robber Bankroll
Mugshot of Thomas Dougher. (Image: breakingac.com)
According to the Borgata Poker Blog, Dougher was primarily an online poker player who averaged 12-15 tournaments a day on regulated New Jersey sites. However, in July 2015, he found success in the live realm when he overcame a 2,525-entry field to win the $400 Borgata Summer Poker Open Deepstack for $149,127.
“I played an $80 bounty three years ago and finished third,” Dougher told Borgata officials after the win. “I swear I’ve played like three live tournaments in my life.”
---End Quote---
https://www.cardschat.com/news/fbi-borgata-poker-champ-thomas-dougher-is-atlantic-city-bank-robber-56439

Quote:

Luck Runs Out
On Friday, Dougher allegedly robbed the PNC Bank in Absecon, New Jersey, and was apprehended about an hour later at a nearby Quality Inn. Authorities allege it was his ninth robbery in four states. In addition to banks in New Jersey and New York, he supposedly also hit locations in Delaware and Pennsylvania, two of four states in the country that offer legal online poker.

Dougher’s current charges are for three bank robberies in Atlantic County. Surveillance from the Sun National Bank in Northfield, New Jersey, shows a cleanly-shaven suspect handing a teller a demand note last Tuesday, and on Saturday the same scene played out at a PNC Bank in Pleasantville.

In 2007, Dougher served time in federal prison for a string of bank robberies. He was released three years later.

“The successful cooperative investigation and uneventful arrest of Dougher, who previously served prison time for 11 robberies in 2007, is a testament to the importance of interaction between all levels of law enforcement from local to federal to achieve a common goal,” said Pleasantville Police Capt. Matt Hartman.

Police also found the car Dougher used, which had been stolen in Maryland, in the parking garage of Caesars Atlantic City casino.

Bank Robber Bankroll

Mugshot of Thomas Dougher. (Image: breakingac.com)

According to the Borgata Poker Blog, Dougher was primarily an online poker player who averaged 12-15 tournaments a day on regulated New Jersey sites. However, in July 2015, he found success in the live realm when he overcame a 2,525-entry field to win the $400 Borgata Summer Poker Open Deepstack for $149,127.

“I played an $80 bounty three years ago and finished third,” Dougher told Borgata officials after the win. “I swear I’ve played like three live tournaments in my life.”

I opened an account 6 months ago and made two deposits ($210 + $205) with my visa and made a few bets including some cfb and nfl futures. I went to make a 3rd deposit and it wouldnt let me until I verified my card. I did so twice and both times they asked that I upload to the website rather than emailing. There was no way to do it either time via the website which I explained when I sent in docs. I told them I play with 4 other books and this is a wild pain in the ass and I wouldnt be depositing again.

Logged in yesterday and it appears they 86'ed me. I asked what was up and received this reply:

A customer support staff member has replied to your support request, #87945 with the following response:

Not sure why it was. But at the moment you are no longer a customer. You do need to find another place to play with.

We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses.

...................

I asked if they would either be refunding my wagers or crediting back my deposits and received this response:

A customer support staff member has replied to your support request, #87945 with the following response:

At this time we do not show any funds/deposits to refund to your account. if you made deposits with a card you can always recall them on your end. You no longer have an account with us.

We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses.

What should I do? I am not going to a chargeback (as he seems to be suggesting) and get blacklisted from depositing at the other sites I play. I notice most share processors.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessKazoeyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16363-Heritage-SportsRob Gorodetsky - Real deal of not?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16322-Rob-Gorodetsky-Real-deal-of-not&goto=newpost
Thu, 28 Dec 2017 01:09:26 GMT wrote:
• You have a new message:
• Via: http://www.bigroblasvegas.com/
• Message Details:
•
o Name Matt
o Email XXXXX
o Subject Your Record
o Message Do you have on your website your past betting record? If not why?
• Sent on: 27 December, 2017
• Thank you!]]>Todd had this link on his twitter and it was a good read:

I actually went to his website and emailed the guy and he did respond. Judge for yourself, email chain below starting at the bottom from a web submission form:

================================================== ================

When you bet over 27 Million dollars the stakes change. Im not betting pennies here... In order for you to bet that amount a year you have to wager $74k a day avg. When you are betting that much trust me you have to know what you're doing. The article says if I'm an overall winner.

Whats the purpose of you reaching out. You want to make some coin together? or watch everyone else make it?

It's about Rob Gorodetsky, a 25-year-old, douchey sportsbetting degenerate (and sometimes poker player) who bets huge, claims to crush casinos, lives a super-extravagant lifestyle, and has now embarrassed various professional athletes.

Basically this appears to be a rich kid who lives large and claims it's from an amazing feel for high stakes sportsbetting -- even though he concedes he knows very little about some of the games where he bets $100k or more.

Here he is wearing a $6,000 Louis Vuitton hoodie:

While losing "professional gamblers" who are rich from other sources having been posing as winners for decades, this one takes a more interesting turn because Gorodetsky has managed to befriend and bamboozle various professional athletes.

In the above interview with USA Today, Gorodetsky told various stories about famous athletes who became interested in his sportsbetting prowess, and were dumb enough to believe that he was really some sports prodigy, and wanted in on his action.

Odell Beckham Jr was named, and is now in a panic because the NFL forbids players from betting on any professional sport, and Gorodetsky claims that OBJ asked him to place a $20k wager on baseball (which ultimately ended up not being placed). OBJ denied knowing Gorodetsky, which seems like BS, given the evidence presented in the USA Today article.

He also hung out with Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma, who now also denies knowing him.

He played high stakes poker at the Wynn with Russell Westbrook, who has "no comment".

He showed texts he had with Damon Jones, the shooting coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was giving Jones baseball picks.

He also claimed that musician Drake was briefly friends with him, and once wired $100,000 to him in Vegas to use for gambling.

This guy has very few tournament results -- only 6 lifetime cashes -- though his last one was 2 years ago at the Pokerstars PCA $25k High Roller, where he got 10th for $98k.

I give just about a 0.0% chance that this guy is actually a winning sportsbettor. He posted a single financial statement from William Hill showing that he made $26 million in bets and profited $245,000, but will not show any other statements from any other book, which is highly suspect. It's likely that William Hill was the only book where he managed to eke out a win.

It's also a fact that getting action is very tough in Vegas if it is suspected you are a +EV sportsbettor. You can stay under the radar by placing $1k type bets, but if you are consistently betting big and killing the books, they will often cut you off -- especially if it seems like you know what you're doing

Gorodetsky claims to win 60-65% of his sports bets, which is highly unlikely. However, if you bet with any volume, and you're not carefully analyzing the games you're betting, then it actually is close to impossible. For reference, I am a 61.38% NBA bettor this year after 147 picks. However, I am carefully focused on just one sport and closely analyzing each game, and even with that, I don't think 61% is sustainable in the long run. Gorodetsky has been doing this for 4 years (presumably making far more bets than my 147), and admits he's just doing it by feel. Also, if he were hitting 65%, he would be winning at almost every book, and could present proof of more than just one.

In addition, even if we want to take his William Hill account as typical, that would still just be an 0.9% return on investment -- far lower than one would expect for a 65% winner on sides bets.

Anyway, go read the article if you want a good laugh.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16319-Rob-Gorodetsky-Millennial-degenerate-douche-who-fancies-himself-a-pro-sportsbettor-This-is-his-storyStations Casinos stiff players out of bad beat jackpot due to technicality, refuses to pay after Nevada Gaming Control recommends they payhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16231-Stations-Casinos-stiff-players-out-of-bad-beat-jackpot-due-to-technicality-refuses-to-pay-after-Nevada-Gaming-Control-recommends-they-pay&goto=newpost
Thu, 14 Dec 2017 10:48:56 GMThttps://www.reviewjournal.com/busine...poker-jackpot/

Cliffs:

- After the river was dealt, one player showed his hand to people indicating that he had a straight flush, which ended up beating a lower straight flush.

- Bad Beat Jackpot was $120,0000 -- $60k was to go to loser of hand, $30k to winner, and other $30k to be split by 80 others playing in all different Station Casinos poker rooms at the time.

- Stations DENIED jackpot due to technicality that you can't show your hand to anyone until after all the betting was complete, and he showed it on the river before betting was complete.

- Above rule is in place in order to stop people from "playing for the jackpot", such as softplaying opponents with possible jackpot hands, but clearly doesn't apply to hands after the river is dealt, where outcome is established and no one is folding a monster hand regardless of the action.

- Complaint was made to Nevada Gaming. A Gaming agent reviewed it and recommended Stations pay the jackpot. Stations refused.

- Hearing taking place currently, with Stations attorneys arguing why they shouldn't have to pay.

The oddest thing? This is a PR disaster, and the $120k is mostly (or completely?) player funded, so Stations isn't even saving much (or any) money by refusing to pay it!

Yes, it looks better for them to have a bigger jackpot ongoing, but the value from that doesn't come near the bad PR for this entire mess. No idea why Stations is fighting this so hard.

There will not be a ruling until late December or early January, and Stations has the right to appeal!

:fraudalert
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16231-Stations-Casinos-stiff-players-out-of-bad-beat-jackpot-due-to-technicality-refuses-to-pay-after-Nevada-Gaming-Control-recommends-they-payBetcoin.ag FAIL, followed by theft of Bad Beat Jackpothttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16215-Betcoin-ag-FAIL-followed-by-theft-of-Bad-Beat-Jackpot&goto=newpost
Wed, 13 Dec 2017 00:42:19 GMTBetcoin.ag which uses wpn networks skin for sng's and mtt's has a major bug. Today players were able to enter and rebuy in all mtt's without bitcoins in their account. A bunch of user accounts have been disabled until they can figure it out. Multiple users took advantage of this bug and there is no telling how much $ this is going to cost betcoin.ag. I wouldn't doubt if they get kicked off the wpn network.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessdonkeykillahttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16215-Betcoin-ag-FAIL-followed-by-theft-of-Bad-Beat-Jackpot$26.3 million bank account seized from Ray Bitar, half of it sent to UShttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16209-26-3-million-bank-account-seized-from-Ray-Bitar-half-of-it-sent-to-US&goto=newpost
Tue, 12 Dec 2017 02:01:56 GMThttp://www.flushdraw.net/news/guernsey-returns-ray-bitars-laundered-full-tilt-money-uss-fbi/
Cliffs:
Ray Bitar laundered $26.3 million and had it in a bank account in Guernsey, which is a self-governed British island.
At some point between November 2012 and June 2015, this account was closed and seized, at the request of US authorities.
Guernsey and the US split the proceeds, and the US just received their $13.15 million share.http://www.flushdraw.net/news/guerns...money-uss-fbi/

Cliffs:

Ray Bitar laundered $26.3 million and had it in a bank account in Guernsey, which is a self-governed British island.

At some point between November 2012 and June 2015, this account was closed and seized, at the request of US authorities.

Guernsey and the US split the proceeds, and the US just received their $13.15 million share.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16209-26-3-million-bank-account-seized-from-Ray-Bitar-half-of-it-sent-to-USA Football Survivor Pool Gone Horribly Badhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16183-A-Football-Survivor-Pool-Gone-Horribly-Bad&goto=newpost
Fri, 08 Dec 2017 01:44:34 GMTAn NFL Survivor Pool with over $1 million in entry fees may have gone donk down.

Ronandmike.com, a popular survivor pool site, has been down for some time. Its unclear if its either due to a rolling, shooting off, or a legal action by the cops

For those who don't know what an NFL Survivor pools is, its a bet made before the year where:

Each pool member chooses one NFL team each week.

Picks are made "straight up", not using a point spread system.

An incorrect pick eliminates the player from the pool for the remainder of the season, although some pools allow a "mulligan" rebuy for those teams who lose early in the season.

If their pick is correct, they survive until the next week and the pool plays down to a winner (or winners in event of a chop).

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16183-A-Football-Survivor-Pool-Gone-Horribly-BadCryptocurrency scamshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16152-Cryptocurrency-scams&goto=newpost
Sat, 02 Dec 2017 01:41:04 GMTHello, everyone. First post here. Todd knows me,,kinda, posted at him on Twitter to buy some Bitcoin the other day. Hopefully he listened. Anyway, I am an occasional listenener of the show. It's too long. I listen to parts of the show. More crypto talk and I will listen more.

Anyway, so I built a little site, which I am not sure I can post it. Easy to find with a google search and I built what looks like a very simple site, but is actually kind of like a money machine. If I can scale it, could actually provide me with a decent wage. Just over 3 months since building the site and the response is really good. No ads, no script mining, lightweight pages running a supercache ... because grinding faucets is a pain. There's all kinds of pop ups, and windows you have to close and reopen, etc. so, my site makes it easier. I make money on referrals only. So, my aim is to gain a reputation as the goto place for noobs. You would feel safe sending grandma to my site, and I don't list anything that I think even MIGHT be a scam. Like Bitconnect.

That being said, I listed a cloud mining site, called it a scam, and got referrals anyway. So I am building a "Scams" page where I can dump links I think are scams. My father is a retired law prof, so I think I have a pretty good idea about how to word things when calling people scammers, but I am also looking for people that have storries they want to tell regarding Bitcoin, or other cryptos and scams.

Robert Searfoss III from Ohio was an attorney who wasn't happy with his career, and he wanted to become a pro poker player. Apparently his law firm went belly up due to debt (either from lack of work or chunking off all his $ gambling -- I'm guessing the latter), so he allegedly stole $400k from a husband-and-wife pair of clients, whose trust he was managing.

His wife testified that he lied about the success of the law firm, and then finally broke it to her that he wanted to be a poker pro.

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/936060090544619520
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessRenohttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16135-Thou-shalt-not-stillLooking For A Math Guru/Statisical Anylasishttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16096-Looking-For-A-Math-Guru-Statisical-Anylasis&goto=newpost
Fri, 24 Nov 2017 00:36:11 GMTI have Emails to prove my case in this. I can Obv see patterns and im very decent at catching these...This is for ACR/WPN network. Im just not so good at statistical Anylasis and would need some help in finding someone that can help back up more leading claims about ACR being Rigged..Plus i have found Discrepensies with WPNs License that might prove that its a fraud..if anyone could please help i would greatly appreciate in breaking this case to in hopes shut this down or bring it to some authority that can shut down its illegal activitesI have Emails to prove my case in this. I can Obv see patterns and im very decent at catching these...This is for ACR/WPN network. Im just not so good at statistical Anylasis and would need some help in finding someone that can help back up more leading claims about ACR being Rigged..Plus i have found Discrepensies with WPNs License that might prove that its a fraud..if anyone could please help i would greatly appreciate in breaking this case to in hopes shut this down or bring it to some authority that can shut down its illegal activites
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessBluffedwacoawayhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16096-Looking-For-A-Math-Guru-Statisical-AnylasisLater Kidshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16031-Later-Kids&goto=newpost
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 05:32:15 GMTbrutal thinker wins. Im guessing he is this lawyer dude. I had a goal to help people get their money back, and I was successful in doing it. But brutal thinker says its wrong and im a moron and this and that, and truthfully, Im in such a who gives a fuck mode in life that ya, all it took was one guy to say what I do is wrong and Im out of the business. See I can do that, I dont need the money, I dont need praise and I definitely dont need people being on the side of scammers trashing me like brutal thinker. Ill still do anything for Marc Klang, as he is a great guy. Other than that, too bad so sad, lots of people not gonna get paid back.
yes im whiny and oversensitive, but id rather hang with my dog and watch Live PD than be criticized for trying to do what I think is a good thing.brutal thinker wins. Im guessing he is this lawyer dude. I had a goal to help people get their money back, and I was successful in doing it. But brutal thinker says its wrong and im a moron and this and that, and truthfully, Im in such a who gives a fuck mode in life that ya, all it took was one guy to say what I do is wrong and Im out of the business. See I can do that, I dont need the money, I dont need praise and I definitely dont need people being on the side of scammers trashing me like brutal thinker. Ill still do anything for Marc Klang, as he is a great guy. Other than that, too bad so sad, lots of people not gonna get paid back.

yes im whiny and oversensitive, but id rather hang with my dog and watch Live PD than be criticized for trying to do what I think is a good thing.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesstehcollectorhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16031-Later-KidsTexts from perverted Ballys pit boss who sexually harassed mehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16008-Texts-from-perverted-Ballys-pit-boss-who-sexually-harassed-me&goto=newpost
Sat, 11 Nov 2017 22:04:27 GMTI think I’ve long owed these to PFA.
I discussed this on the April 7, 2017 PFA Radio show: https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14611-Druff-amp-Friends-Show-04-07-17-Live-at-the-Bust
Attachment 35026 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=35026)
Attachment 35027 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=35027)
Attachment 35028 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=35028)I think I’ve long owed these to PFA.

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessKilgore Trouthttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?16008-Texts-from-perverted-Ballys-pit-boss-who-sexually-harassed-meEmail service that wastes scammers timehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15987-Email-service-that-wastes-scammers-time&goto=newpost
Thu, 09 Nov 2017 16:04:14 GMThttps://youtu.be/jPajqAJWiNA
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessduped_samaritanhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15987-Email-service-that-wastes-scammers-timeI Collect Poker Debtshttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15967-I-Collect-Poker-Debts&goto=newpost
Sun, 05 Nov 2017 19:59:05 GMTI got super sick of seeing scammers and scumbags not pay their debts. I decided to do something about it and offered to collect some debts (legally) for some people. Im not a show up with hired thugs type guy, I dont even leave my house. I have successfully engineered multiple paybacks of debts. I will gladly offer 2 or 3 references of who got paid as proof and will answer questions if you have any. Im fed up with scammers
Dan Druff gave me permission to do this thread and he also can dictate what is said in it. Its his forum and I do not want to break any rules. I appreciate him letting me post this threadI got super sick of seeing scammers and scumbags not pay their debts. I decided to do something about it and offered to collect some debts (legally) for some people. Im not a show up with hired thugs type guy, I dont even leave my house. I have successfully engineered multiple paybacks of debts. I will gladly offer 2 or 3 references of who got paid as proof and will answer questions if you have any. Im fed up with scammers

Dan Druff gave me permission to do this thread and he also can dictate what is said in it. Its his forum and I do not want to break any rules. I appreciate him letting me post this thread
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesstehcollectorhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15967-I-Collect-Poker-DebtsSome of the wpn scammers...https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15939-Some-of-the-wpn-scammers&goto=newpost
Thu, 02 Nov 2017 05:30:16 GMTJacob nuttall is always scamming Facebook poker forums. Stole over 200 of my bet coin chips and lucked 2nd place in a $44 4K gtd same night and just withdrew all of it for himself. He even had a douchebag reference lie for him the whole time in Facebook messenger.
Neal lee weilacher betcoin scam artist. He still owes me a little over $200.
Rmoney23. Ryanj123. Rumadbro2323. He’s The America’s most wanted of online poker scams on wpn skins. Owes me over $575 plus from always busting out of mtt’s. Watch out for this mofo he’s gonna scam up for the 12 million dollar Sunday’s first 12 Sunday’s of 2018.
Michael reed who had a profile picture of online poker tables got into a facebook poker group and immediately scammed someone by saying I referred him or must have logged into my Facebook to do it before I setup 2 factor authentication; just happened less than 4 days ago. What a mofo!
No consequences for them besides an occasional reversal of funds depending on how they got the money is why these bastards are such horrible people I figure. Just thought I’d tell some of the horror stories so at least these 4 guys might get banned eventually.
Thanks.Jacob nuttall is always scamming Facebook poker forums. Stole over 200 of my bet coin chips and lucked 2nd place in a $44 4K gtd same night and just withdrew all of it for himself. He even had a douchebag reference lie for him the whole time in Facebook messenger.

Rmoney23. Ryanj123. Rumadbro2323. He’s The America’s most wanted of online poker scams on wpn skins. Owes me over $575 plus from always busting out of mtt’s. Watch out for this mofo he’s gonna scam up for the 12 million dollar Sunday’s first 12 Sunday’s of 2018.

Michael reed who had a profile picture of online poker tables got into a facebook poker group and immediately scammed someone by saying I referred him or must have logged into my Facebook to do it before I setup 2 factor authentication; just happened less than 4 days ago. What a mofo!

No consequences for them besides an occasional reversal of funds depending on how they got the money is why these bastards are such horrible people I figure. Just thought I’d tell some of the horror stories so at least these 4 guys might get banned eventually.

Thanks.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessdawgettehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15939-Some-of-the-wpn-scammersSportsbook.ag / Merge Network steals $4,000 from mehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15783-Sportsbook-ag-Merge-Network-steals-4-000-from-me&goto=newpost
Tue, 17 Oct 2017 09:51:28 GMTI wanted to preface this posting by stating I will include all email communication between myself and the sportsbook.ag /Merge Gaming Network support and will tell the story to the best of my memory of a big win I had vs. a player which resulted in the network confiscating approximately $4,000 of my funds.

On October 10th 2017 in the time range of 3 A.M. I was exhausted and was returning from the bathroom and was about to close all poker games. The games on this night were very slow and I played a small amount of hands. As I was closing the window I noticed a player had sat at the 15-30 limit hold em table I had occupied. I decide to play and if he was close to my skill I was off to sleep because I had work in the late morning.

After we played in the range of 5 to 15 hands I knew I had a large advantage on this player. As the game went along this player was often trying to bluff me with 2 to 3 bets and sometimes 4 with very weak hands on the turn and the river. I was able to get full value and then some often times when I was ahead but there were also times where he would jam in 3-4 bets with nothing and he would suck out on me and get more value on the river for extra bets which is standard vs a lunatic player

The opening 150 to 200 hands I won at a super high rate netting about $3000 in profit. This guy was so psycho that my plan was to play tight pre and chop him up post when I was more than likely to have big leads in the hands with strong pairs and 2 pairs. The entire game including the posting below took place over roughly 800 hands but I do not have the exact number.

At some point in the game he took a break and I took a break as well to get food and water. When I returned to resume the play I had timed out and he was not at the table anymore. I decided to take an open seat and see if he returned and a few minutes later he did. I quickly won another 600 from him and he reloaded again. At some points later he ran hot and I ran cold and he went on some $1500 runs and we were stuck at me being ahead $2000 for a the majority of the game and eventually when I caught some cards his style of playing aggressive imploded and I went on a jet to get ahead $4000 at which time he sat out and we both quit. He still had more chips left when the game ended and I did not break him. The entire game lasted 4 to 5 hours and I was extremely tired so I called into work. I woke up 7 hours later and at some point while checking my email I received the following from the sportsbook.ag fraud team.

Hi JJ9917,

We notice you performed a willing transfer of funds from player "pocketpairstacked". Therefore, we require you to explain the nature of your relationship with this customer and why you folded hand 88292156-506 by responding to this e-mail.

In addition we need you to please explain your relationship with player poncho

Until a response is received we have inactivated your poker account.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Best Regards,

Daniel
Fraud Team
Merge Gaming Network

After I read this email the first thing that crept to my brain was where is the hand they are talking about. There was no hand included or attached to the email. The second thing I thought was why would I pay this much rake to the house and play for 5 hours if I was taking a chip dump transfer. That would be extremely stupid and with Crypto cashouts like Bitcoin being the new thing and available at lightning speeds why would I ask the guy to dump chips to me over a long rakefest that lasts 5 hours. The bottom line is this guy was just a massive fish or a drunk guy so I responded with the truth within 30 minutes of receiving this mail

Hello Sportsbook.ag,

"pocketpairsstacked" I never played with I don't think until last night.

There is no hand history included on your email for hand 88292156-506 so I don't know which hand you are talking about. I can tell you that in general after playing about 5-10 hands I realized this guy seemed pretty crazy so I played really tight because I knew after the flop I had the advantage because he was trying crazy plays and that seemed like the best way to beat him.

The poncho guy seems like a regular on the site and I like it when he plays because more players join the 6 max games.

I have no relationship with either player. I just think I am a better player than both of them.

Sincerely ,

JJ9917

And that is the truth. The guy I played 1 on 1 stunk and the other poncho guy who they mentioned is some random guy who plays from time to time who I have had a lot of success against. Other facts I would like to include is I had $4000 in my account before this game began and over the previous 2 months on the site I was ahead $11,000 and was beating the games consistently anytime I played whether it be 1 on 1 or full 6 max games

They respond with this the following day

Hi JJ9917,

Thanks for getting in touch with us.

Our investigation leads us to believe that you are not being forthright with us.

Again, we require you to elaborate on your responce and explain your actions in hand: 88292156-506 while holding Qh-Kc

I read this and I have a feeling they have already made up their mind. How am I not being forthright when the hand they asked me about was not even presented to me in the original email? And I could not look the hand up on my own because I played the session on mobile and did not have the hand saved. Here is my detailed response which I sent back to them within 1 hour of receiving the mail from them.

Hello Sportsbook.ag,

How was I not being forthright with you when you did not include the hand history in your original message to me? You only included the hand number so I had no idea which hand you were referring to.

Here is the breakdown of the hand

I raise pre with KQ to $30

pocketpairstacked raises to $45

I call the bet

The flop rains down (8c,Ad,2h)

pocketpairstacked leads into me and I fold and here is why

I fold because I HAVE NO PAIR , and I DO NOT HAVE A BACKDOOR FLUSH DRAW as my hand is an offsuited KQ high and this guy has led into me some times with big hands in the 500 or so hands that we have played so I have no incentive to call him down because it will cost me $60 more to win only $90 and see if my calls are correct.

Also , this guy is weak at poker ,but he did raise to $45 preflop and even terrible players are going to show up with an Ace in this spot or a pair often when they show strength pre. So if this guy has ANY ACE I AM BEAT and I am BEHIND ANY POCKET PAIR and I am behind any hand he possibly raised to $45 pre with that contains an 8 or a 2 which is possible considering how bad he has played up to this point. So in this spot I am folding a very very high % of the time.

The other reason I will not call here is because I am playing an exploitative strategy ( a strategy where I can exploit the imbalances of my opponent when I have super strong hands). While doing this I do open myself up to being exploited but I do not perceive my opponent as the type of player who will be able to exploit me back while I play tighter and pound him when I have stronger hands.

At the end of the day, I am a much better player than pocketpairstacked and if you look at my results the past 2 months overall this win is consistent as I have been beating most everyone and every game I have played in since joining the sportsbook.

Sincerely,

JJ917

A full day later I get this from them

Hi JJ9917,

Thank you for your detailed explanation

We have now concluded our investigation in your account. Given the way hands played out on your session on October 10th, we concluded that this was an intentional transfer of funds.

Please note that since we are committed on creating a fair and quality gaming experience, we are not able to tolerate a willing transfer of funds at our tables. Accordingly, those funds have been returned to their origin.

Moreover, we are unfortunately unable to allow you further access to our poker games.

You may continue using other products or withdraw your remaining balance should you decide to.

Best Regards,

Daniel
Fraud Team
Merge Gaming Network

I get this email from them and I just cannot believe it. I just chopped some guy into pieces for $4,000 and they are sending him back the money because he played terrible. Unbelievable!!!!

I followed up with this response

Dear Sportsboog.ag /Merge Network,

I would like to say that this is a terrible decision on your part based off of 0 evidence. I played a fish who was probably drunk and I destroyed him and now you are giving them back the money? THIS IS NOT RIGHT

And then to top it all off you based your decision off one hand that was 506 hands into a match that played out over ONE THOUSAND HANDS and the hand you presented to me I FOLDED A HIGH CARD not even a pair
I would like to request all of the hand histories from this match be sent to me as I do not have access to them as I played the match on mobile poker.

Since this email was sent to them on October 12th they have not sent me the hands for the session. In fact they have not responded to one email of mine since then. However I was allowed to cashout the $4050 that was in my account and still have access to everything but poker which is odd. If I did what they thought happened then wouldn't they just want me off the network period?

If they do release the hands to me which they should if they have nothing to hide, I will post every hand for the session so I can have limit experts look over the hands and they can conclude whether this was not a fair game. But the bottom line is this would be the worst and most inefficient way to ever dump chips and I think everyone will agree on that. I have sent multiple requests for the hand files and they still have not sent them to me.

The bottom line is this guy was either an extremely bad player who got destroyed or it was a site account who took a shot at me and got crushed and now they are swiping it under the rug. I can't even imagine what this guy said to them when they told him they believed he performed a willing transfer by dumping at the tables.

I enjoyed the discussion of Global Poker’s “Gambling vs. Sweepstakes” business model as it pertains to PayPal on one of your recent podcasts (sorry, I’m about a month behind). When I think of Gambling vs. Sweepstakes I usually think in terms of taxes. In a casino, when you win money from gambling, you are issued a form W-2G. When those winnings are from sweepstakes, you are issued a form 1099-MISC.

For example, card rooms that offer bad beat or high hand jackpots consider them sweepstakes, and when the amount of the jackpot awarded exceeds the state or federal limits, they will issue you a form 1099-MISC. As you explained in your discussion, players have no consideration and are not putting up any money (or perhaps any additional money) to win these jackpots. Also, if you read the fine print associated with these bad beat jackpots, you can request to participate once a day without playing a “real” hand of poker. The house will take you to an empty table, deal you a hand, a dummy hand, and a board. If you quality, you can win the bad beat without the house even taking their $1 or $2 jackpot drop. Now, this is hardly ever (on possibly never) requested, but it is offered. All this makes jackpot payouts fall into the sweepstakes category and as such, a form 1099-MISC is issued on applicable winnings.

Alternately, if you win a poker tournament, prizes exceeding the state or federal limits will be accompanied by a form W-2G as these are clearly gambling earnings.

Now, in the case of Global Poker, and specifically the player who asked PayPal to refund his money because he did not use the Gold Coins, but used the Sweeps Cash instead, was he gambling or was this a sweepstakes?

Let me muddy the waters and offer up this from my personal history with forms W-2G and 1099-MISC. I played in a small nightly poker tournament at a Harrah’s Hollywood St. Louis property some years ago and finished in 2nd place. The prize was small, as I recall, probably under $400, and I was given a W-2G. Straight forward. No issues.

The muddiness comes from the blackjack tournament I won at Harrah’s Gulf Coast in Biloxi. The details were discussed in my original post called Another CET freeroll bit of shadiness back on March 12th, 2016. The relevant bit here is that I was given the entry as a comp through the usual Caesars' mailings that you’re familiar with. Since my entry was free, I had no consideration, and was given a form 1099-MISC. But what about the other players who were not comped and put up the $30 entry fee? Like a poker tournament, these players would have had consideration in the form of their entry fee. If they had won this same blackjack tournament, would they have been issued a form W-2G? Could the same tournament been seen as gambling for them, but a sweepstakes for me? Or, since at least one player (me) was afforded free entry, does that make the entire tournament a sweepstakes where any winner would receive a form 1099-MISC? If it’s the later, then perhaps Global Poker is using this same argument to categorize all of their games as sweepstakes rather than gambling. As long as there’s the avenue for one player to play for free, then perhaps in the eyes of the law it’s all a sweepstakes. The charge back guy's point was that he didn't touch the Gold Coins which cost money, but instead used the free Sweeps Cash. What are your thoughts?
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessalpha1243https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15712-Gambling-vs-SweepstakesScott Tom Sundayhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15685-Scott-Tom-Sunday&goto=newpost
Tue, 03 Oct 2017 08:05:33 GMTInteresting series articles by Haley Hintze, who is the biggest thorn in AP founder/cheater Scott Tom's side:

A guy made a new account on 2+2 named "ignitionBitcoin" and claimed his $9500 cashout simply vanished. When he checked into it, he found that the cashout WAS processed, but to a completely different bitcoin address (not his) than he had submitted!

Further investigation into the matter showed that the bitcoin address where it did go was cleared out immediately after the bitcoin was received -- by a series of very small transactions.

Ignition verified that there was never a cancellation of his original withdrawal. So there was not a situation of someone hacking his Ignition account, cancelling it, and withdrawing to their own BTC address.

Furthermore, he checked his blockchain.info account, and the address where it was sent was not close to any BTC addresses he had ever generated.

It is almost certain that, if this story is to be believed, either the payment processor or a rogue Ignition employee changed the BTC address where the money was supposed to go.

Ignition will not re-send the $9500, insisting that their system shows he submitted the same address that the processor paid. This would lead one to believe that it's more likely a rogue employee than the processor, but it also might mean that Ignition simply doesn't want to admit that their processor is doing this.

I was a bit skeptical that a dupe/fake account was reporting this, despite claiming to be a regular mid-stakes player, but then others showed up and echoed that they were either victims of this, or had close friends who were. You can read the above thread (it's not very long) for more info.

Now I'm scared to make any withdrawal in BTC on Ignition/Bovada, and you should be, too.

When you make these withdrawals, you do NOT get any confirmation -- either on screen or by e-mail -- stating which address the cashout will be sent. That's a huge flaw.

One idea I had was to do it by phone. Bovada/Ignition records all of their calls, and presumably you could pressure them to check the call (and even record it yourself on your end) if they pull the switcheroo on the address. You could also ask at the end of the call for them to e-mail you a more detailed confirmation (not sure if they would be willing). But I think that's what I might try.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15665-A-few-players-on-2-2-are-claiming-that-large-Ignition-bitcoin-cashouts-are-vanishingGardens Casino (Hawaiian Gardens) screws players on $1 Million Guarantee tournamenthttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15625-Gardens-Casino-(Hawaiian-Gardens)-screws-players-on-1-Million-Guarantee-tournament&goto=newpost
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 06:52:05 GMTLots of angry poker players in the Los Angeles area today.

Gardens Casino, formerly known as "Hawaiian Gardens", is having "The Gardens Poker Classic" this month.

They are having a $1 Million Guaranteed Main Event, which began on September 16th. The original schedule was as follows:

September 16-22: Two flights (one at 11am and 3pm) each day, for a total of 14 Day 1 flights.
September 23: Day 2
September 24: Day 3 (Final Table), to be shown on CBS Sports and streamed live on Poker Night in America

However, presumably they were falling short of the guarantee, and didn't want to take a loss. Today, which was the second-to-last day to enter, they suddenly announced a major change to the schedule, with five additional starting flights, and Day 2 delayed by two days as a result!

Quote:

*NOTICE: New sessions have been added to EVENT #2 - $1 Million GTD Main Event

Notice that they added FIVE FLIGHTS (which I bolded above), including a 6pm on the 22nd, plus two flights on the 23rd and 24th. Day 2 has been delayed by two days, and two events previously scheduled have been dropped to make room for these new flights.

In addition, they are running more satellites on those additional days in order to further prop up the numbers, and avoid an overlay.

This is completely unethical, and violates the entire concept of a guarantee.

The reason many play "guarantee" tournaments is because they hope the turnout might be low, and thus some of the prizepool will be contributed by the casino (known as an "overlay"). This can make the tournament +EV for an otherwise breakeven (or even slightly losing) player.

What does the casino get out of offering a guarantee? It attracts more players for the above reason (that, plus the guarantee of a large prizepool), and thus the tournament gets more entrants than it would if it didn't have a guarantee. In most cases, the guarantee is set low enough to where it is exceeded, and thus the casino benefits big time from it.

Hawaiian Gardens is choosing to extend the starting days and adding flights until they finally eliminate this overlay -- or simply reduce it to a number they're more comfortable with.

Every player should enter guarantee tournaments knowing the exact number of flights (and approximate number of satellites) being run into it, or otherwise the entire guarantee is a sham.

Furthermore, delaying days 2 and 3 of a tournament is highly unethical (barring an emergency situation), given that some players have other plans for the dates following the tournament. For example, someone on Twitter complained that he had a vacation already scheduled (and paid for) starting September 25, and now will be in a huge bind if he makes Day 2.

Failing to meet the guarantee does not constitute an "emergency", and the Gardens needs to simply EAT the overlay, chalk it up to an unsuccessful event, and move on.

If you cannot afford to deal with a big overlay, then you shouldn't be running and promoting guaranteed tournaments.

This is even WORSE than the cancellation of guaranteed tournaments which fail to draw the expected number of entrants (something the Partouche Poker Tour in France became infamous for doing), because at least the tournament gets cancelled and nobody ends up buying into it. Here, these changes were announced after 10 flights of Day 1s had already completed -- full of people who made their decision to play based upon there being 14, not 19, starting flights.

I encourage all affected entrants to report this to the California Gambling Control Commission, as the Gardens deserves to be punished for this egregious abuse of player trust.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15625-Gardens-Casino-(Hawaiian-Gardens)-screws-players-on-1-Million-Guarantee-tournamentATTN: Phil Nagyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15556-ATTN-Phil-Nagy&goto=newpost
Sun, 10 Sep 2017 06:39:34 GMTLooking to collect on the 10 Bitcoin bounty. Have information leading to the person behind the DDoS attacks. Not quite friends with the person but I know who they are.
Attachment 33430 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=33430)Looking to collect on the 10 Bitcoin bounty. Have information leading to the person behind the DDoS attacks. Not quite friends with the person but I know who they are.

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessWinningDDoShttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15556-ATTN-Phil-NagyMan who attempted robbery of Greg Raymer in 2004 dead at age 47https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15545-Man-who-attempted-robbery-of-Greg-Raymer-in-2004-dead-at-age-47&goto=newpost
Fri, 08 Sep 2017 08:30:43 GMTSome of you might remember when Greg Raymer was the victim of an attempted robbery in front of his Bellagio hotel room.

This occurred on December 20, 2004 -- about six months after Raymer had won the Main Event.

He had just finished playing a Bellagio cash game, and was carrying $150,000 back to his hotel room. Two men followed him, pulled a gun, and ordered him to go inside his room with them. Fearing they would take the money and shoot him dead inside the room, Raymer fought back, knocked one of them down, and the two men fled empty-handed.

They were later apprehended in San Diego at a gun show, attempting to sell toy helicopters. They were identified as Deen Cassim and Kevin R. Joy, and the cops had been on the hunt for them since finding them on video surveillance following Raymer.

Both were sentenced to 3-12 years in state prison.

Kevin R. Joy was always a large guy, and ballooned to over 400 pounds. He died on August 22, 2017 in Las Vegas, at the age of 47.

According to a friend of his who I know, Joy died while having sex (!!)

The death has not been reported yet anywhere in poker media, and only appears on one obituary site right now.

Bodybuilders Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan were eventually convicted of the murder of assistant Melissa James, who was also having an affair with Titus. This conviction was a result of guilty pleas, which were done partially due to Cassim's cooperation in wearing the wire. Titus will be in prison for awhile. Ryan will be released next month.

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15545-Man-who-attempted-robbery-of-Greg-Raymer-in-2004-dead-at-age-47Four Charged in Alleged Arson of Rival Poker Game in Brooklynhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15542-Four-Charged-in-Alleged-Arson-of-Rival-Poker-Game-in-Brooklyn&goto=newpost
Fri, 08 Sep 2017 02:43:37 GMT
---Quote---
According to the United States Department of Justice, a 33-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The indictment charges six defendants, who allegedly have ties to an Eastern European organized crime syndicate, with racketeering predicate acts. One of those alleged crimes involved arson that took place in May 2016.
The Arson Charge
Four of the defendants, Viktor Zelinger, Vyacheslav Malkeyev, Leonid Gershman, and Aleksey Tsvetkov, are charged with crimes related to arson of a residential building at 2220 Voorhies Avenue in Brooklyn that took place shortly after 1:00 a.m. on May 2, 2016.
The impetus for the crime? It is alleged that the defendants operated an illegal high-stakes poker game on Coney Island Avenue and that they conspired to set fire to the Voorhies building because it was the location of a rival poker game.
While the rival game was allegedly on the ground floor of the residential building, the entire building went up in flames, and two residents were trapped in a third-floor apartment as a result.
---End Quote---
https://www.pokernews.com/news/2017/09/rival-poker-game-arson-brooklyn-28900.htm

Quote:

According to the United States Department of Justice, a 33-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The indictment charges six defendants, who allegedly have ties to an Eastern European organized crime syndicate, with racketeering predicate acts. One of those alleged crimes involved arson that took place in May 2016.

The Arson Charge
Four of the defendants, Viktor Zelinger, Vyacheslav Malkeyev, Leonid Gershman, and Aleksey Tsvetkov, are charged with crimes related to arson of a residential building at 2220 Voorhies Avenue in Brooklyn that took place shortly after 1:00 a.m. on May 2, 2016.

The impetus for the crime? It is alleged that the defendants operated an illegal high-stakes poker game on Coney Island Avenue and that they conspired to set fire to the Voorhies building because it was the location of a rival poker game.

While the rival game was allegedly on the ground floor of the residential building, the entire building went up in flames, and two residents were trapped in a third-floor apartment as a result.

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2017/...klyn-28900.htm
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15542-Four-Charged-in-Alleged-Arson-of-Rival-Poker-Game-in-Brooklynhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15533-Craig-Carton-of-quot-Boomer-and-Carton-quot-morning-radio-show-arrested-by-FBI-for-massive-fraud&goto=newpost
Wed, 06 Sep 2017 20:47:54 GMTIf you were listening to sports radio this morning or possibly watching the TV simulcast you might have noticed something wrong this morning.. Boomer Esiason was on the radio with a sub co-host this morning.. Ironic Boomer was left out of the loops as well assuming his co-host had called in sick to work feeling under the weather when apparently his producer in his headphones told him the truth.. Apparently Boomer paused and then said "Apparently Carton has been arrested by the FBI and not sick"

The FBI said Craig Carton earned a pair of silver bracelets for a massive $5.6 MILLION dollar sports ticket fraud which included a Ponzi Scheme as well for such major acts such as Katy Perry and others.. Now for the reason for his fraudulent schemes.. Carton was/is a massive gambling degenerate and was using the proceeds to pay off casinos and "third parties" (better known as LOAN SHARKS and BOOKIES). Carton was apparently grabbed by the FBI at his house around 345am this morning when he was about to leave to go to work.. The crux was Carton claimed to be taking investors money (per the SEC) that he had access to tons of face value tickets from venues per agreements that never existed. Carton had a co-conspirator Micheal Wright of Upper Saddle River, NJ.. Both men were released after posting $500k bond and surrendering their passports.

See whole story below

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...ested-49651358
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessftpjesushttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15533-Craig-Carton-of-quot-Boomer-and-Carton-quot-morning-radio-show-arrested-by-FBI-for-massive-fraudBetonline cancels political wagers that go against themhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15529-Betonline-cancels-political-wagers-that-go-against-them&goto=newpost
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 20:50:02 GMTA warning on betting funny props on offshore books:
---Quote---
Hello all, long time follower first time poster. Will attempt to make this as short as I can. Betonline posted odds on the Trump/Putin meeting from last week. “Will Trump say x?” “Will Putin say x?” I bet “no” on a wide variety of props. I assumed I would take my chances that the exact phrase (according to their rules) would not be said. Official rules on each bet read like this:
*G20 Summit in Hamburg 7/7. Donald Trump will sit down together with Vladimir Putin for a first in-person official bilateral meeting of the two leaders. Will POTUS use the exact phrase/word listed? Must be heard clearly on live feed.*
There was a clear live feed as I’m sure nearly all of you saw. The two presidents shook hands, and discussed their meetings in front of the cameras, broadcasted live. Trump did the same thing with other world leaders such as Mexico and Germany. None of the words/phrases I bet “no” on were mentioned so I obviously thought I won. Two days later, Betonline cancelled all wagers. For a couple days I tried to work this out with their c.s. team. Betonline responded by saying there are no recording of the speech therefore all wagers were voided. I am not sure if this was reviewed by managers, or low level employees but every time I responded with the exact link of the meeting, they did not once even acknowledge it. Link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h7I2miotis
---End Quote---
https://www.sportsbookreview.com/forum/sportsbooks-industry/3408306-betonline-cancels-political-wagers-go-against-them.htmlA warning on betting funny props on offshore books:

Quote:

Hello all, long time follower first time poster. Will attempt to make this as short as I can. Betonline posted odds on the Trump/Putin meeting from last week. “Will Trump say x?” “Will Putin say x?” I bet “no” on a wide variety of props. I assumed I would take my chances that the exact phrase (according to their rules) would not be said. Official rules on each bet read like this:

G20 Summit in Hamburg 7/7. Donald Trump will sit down together with Vladimir Putin for a first in-person official bilateral meeting of the two leaders. Will POTUS use the exact phrase/word listed? Must be heard clearly on live feed.

There was a clear live feed as I’m sure nearly all of you saw. The two presidents shook hands, and discussed their meetings in front of the cameras, broadcasted live. Trump did the same thing with other world leaders such as Mexico and Germany. None of the words/phrases I bet “no” on were mentioned so I obviously thought I won. Two days later, Betonline cancelled all wagers. For a couple days I tried to work this out with their c.s. team. Betonline responded by saying there are no recording of the speech therefore all wagers were voided. I am not sure if this was reviewed by managers, or low level employees but every time I responded with the exact link of the meeting, they did not once even acknowledge it. Link below:

https://www.sportsbookreview.com/for...inst-them.html
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15529-Betonline-cancels-political-wagers-that-go-against-themBovada credit card payment processors skimming againhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15495-Bovada-credit-card-payment-processors-skimming-again&goto=newpost
Wed, 30 Aug 2017 22:47:30 GMTThis has happened before, and other players have complained about it in the past.

I made two $500 deposits, so the fee should have been $29.50 each, for a total of $529.50 each.

Instead, I was charged $569.13 both times -- almost a $40 skim for each one.

I redacted the name, though honestly this shitty processor (and by extension Bovada) doesn't really deserve the courtesy. But I don't want to name this and screw things up for Bovada... unless they won't make this right.

This was NOT charged as a cash advance, nor does my bank have foreign transaction fees. I have deposited with this exact card in the past to Bovada with no issues.

Keep in mind that Bovada's payment processor -- not Bovada itself -- is the one guilty here.

However, Bovada takes a very cavalier attitude about this, attempting to blame it on "foreign transaction fees" or "cash advance fees", even if that's not the case.

They also unreasonably demand that you send them a "running bank statement" with your full name, credit card number, and the transaction. There is no such thing. American banks do not issue a full "running statement" prior to the completion of your billing cycle. It can take as much as 6 weeks from the time of the charge to see an actual statement generated.

When I told them I could send them a screen shot of my transaction list, with the bank name, my name, and last 4 of my CC number, they told me that "wasn't enough".

After speaking with a supervisor, I was told to submit that, and "it should be fine".

I'm very skeptical.

I will update the progress on this.

To repeat, this is NOT Bovada skimming, but it's their shady Chinese credit card processor doing it, and Bovada doesn't make it easy to recover the money.

They did advise me, in a roundabout way, that such skimming is getting increasingly common, and that I should use bitcoin instead in the future. (I wasn't forced to do this, but I was highly advised to do so.)

What a mess.

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15495-Bovada-credit-card-payment-processors-skimming-againPaypal closed my account....Cocksuckers!https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15480-Paypal-closed-my-account-Cocksuckers!&goto=newpost
Sat, 26 Aug 2017 06:20:23 GMTI have had a Paypal account for 15 years and yesterday got this notice:
Attachment 33204 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=33204)
Called them and spoke with a supervisor. They did not give a reason and said I am banned for life. Cocksuckers!
I did do a few larger transfers to another Paypal user over the past few months that I suspect were the reason. I emailed executiveoffice@paypal.com and pleaded my case today but no response yet.
Can you open a new one using a different bank account? Any ideas or thoughts on the best way to get it unbanned or open a new one.I have had a Paypal account for 15 years and yesterday got this notice:

Called them and spoke with a supervisor. They did not give a reason and said I am banned for life. Cocksuckers!

I did do a few larger transfers to another Paypal user over the past few months that I suspect were the reason. I emailed executiveoffice@paypal.com and pleaded my case today but no response yet.

Can you open a new one using a different bank account? Any ideas or thoughts on the best way to get it unbanned or open a new one.

Meet Eddie Tipton now former head of Cyber Security for the Multi State Lottery Association which runs Powerball, Mega Millions as well as several smaller games (several of which use an RNG to produce winning numbers/tickets)

Tipton was formerly a programmer with the Multistate Lottery Association, the agency that administers state lotteries. He designed and maintained software "for computerized random number generators used to select winning lottery numbers in many states across the country," according to the office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Tipton, who lives in Texas, is accused of buying lottery tickets in various states, including Iowa, and selecting numbers that he knew would win, since he designed the program that generated the winning numbers. Tipton then gave these tickets to third parties who agreed to cash them and split the money with him. One of these accomplices was his brother, Tommy Tipton, authorities said. The investigation against the Tipton brothers began in 2010, with a suspicious claim for a $14.3 million Hot Lotto jackpot in Iowa that lottery officials refused to pay. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation traced Tipton's scheme to other states as well.

Eddie Tipton made a deal with prosecutors in June, in which he pleaded guilty to the Iowa charge of ongoing criminal conduct. Prosecutors dropped a charge of money laundering. He will be allowed to serve the Iowa sentence concurrently with a sentence of up to five-and-a-half years in Wisconsin, where he pleaded guilty to theft by fraud and computer crime. His brother Tommy Tipton, a former judge in Texas, is currently serving a 75-day sentence in Texas for a misdemeanor theft charge and deferred judgment on a felony charge of conspiracy to commit theft. The Tiptons' friend Robert Rhodes, who also lives in Texas, was the one who attempted to redeem the $14.3 million jackpot. He has pleaded guilty to fraud and will be sentenced on Friday.

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessftpjesushttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15454-Appears-MultiState-Lottery-Tech-Expert-was-pulling-a-UB-AP-SuperUser-trickClovis CA poker room pulling a Full Tilt??https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15429-Clovis-CA-poker-room-pulling-a-Full-Tilt&goto=newpost
Fri, 18 Aug 2017 16:04:30 GMTGaming authorities in California shut down a poker room known as 500 Club Casino which ran 12 tables of poker alleging the management didn't have cash on hand to cover the liabilities on the tables and had been repeatedly asked regarding discrepancies in the liability between chips on the poker tables and cash to back them up for cash outs. This is a real life version of Full Tilt it seems where player funds were not segregated as it were. California gaming claims the discrepancy was significant without releasing details.

The reason I ask is that none of them have disclosed this in any of their promotions on social media. Daniel even has recently posted a video in which he talks about how innovative "they" (PokerCentral) are and how "they" are great for the game.

This reminds me a bit of the CSGOlotto scandal in which two huge YouTubers made a bunch of videos about their gambling site for kids, but pretended like they had just stumbled upon it.

The FTC has pretty clear rules on this and has recently fined companies for promoting through YouTube and Instagram personalities without full disclosures.

I think pretending not to own the company you're promoting is even slimier than sneaking ads into your content.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessSrslySiriushttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15420-PokerCentral-Violating-FTC-Rules-DNegs-Esfandiari-Hellmuth-Undisclosed-OwnersSeth Weintraub who was featured in a 2+2 scam post 3 years ago is scamming againhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15389-Seth-Weintraub-who-was-featured-in-a-2-2-scam-post-3-years-ago-is-scamming-again&goto=newpost
Fri, 11 Aug 2017 20:17:46 GMTSeth Weintraub aka 'Nole77" from the Lock poker scandal where he took $20k from players has surfaced and promised a lengthy staking deal to me at the highest mtt stakes on Black Chip Poker and vowed to post a $1k contribution to our backing fund backed out on replacing my buyins he agreed to cover in our deal. Others have come forward saying he changed their deals and asked for makeup to be paid in cash. I found an archived post on 2+2. It confirms he is a scammer. We would like to rid him from the poker world by informing the community. I have 5 recorded conversations and countless messages of him making a deal with me that he initiated and never putting up the money, including buyins he asked me to front him in my games ran for him. I am out of $500+ on the deal but glad to have found out who he is to protect others. I can be found on Facebook and will speak to T.W. or anyone who wants to get to the bottom of this. Myself and others can provide details on his recent dealings and why we would trust him in the first place. *I have 5 times the amount of files on this, but wanted to not give too much infromation to be sorted at first, I believe others will come forward to tell their experiences with Seth Weintraub aka "NUTNOPAIR" on WPN. I can get his old Stars screen name and such. He also gains credibilty by saying he knows Mat Sklansky and Josh Arieh really well adn is best friends with Andre Rison in Atlanta. He claims to have all of these $200-300k valued cars and homes all over the U.S. and to be a bookie who takes 6 figure bets. This guy is very good at wiggling into a community or forum/ Facebook poker group and gaining credibility by making small stakes to players and targeting higher stakes players for scams. He was essentially freerolling me in the end with no intention to pay the balance. He even said his wife took his phone and communicated with horses and clients one day to be able to tell those in ongoing deals he wasn't present, though she assured us to go forward with schedules and Seth would make it right the next day. It was his birthday. I will provide as much information and calls I recorded for safety as needed to back my claims. Others are already coming forward to tell me he did something shady with them, especially telling horses to pay makeup in cash. I have messages of him saying he was doing that in an investors' private chat.

While I believe he didn't know about the cheating when it was occurring, he was the opposite of helpful during the investigation and refund stages. He just wanted to hide from it while retaining his investment.

There is no evidence that he was the force within UB pushing them to investigate. Rather, it was users who were cheated and proved it through hand histories which forced this. Then UB's bigwigs met up (not Phil, but many others, including Russ Hamilton) and tried to find ways to under-refund people. That was exposed from the Travis Makar tapes he referred to (the ones which debuted on Donkdown Radio with me and Micon).

He also talks about that controversial pot which Phil lost and where it was shipped to him anyway. He claims in this interview that the person disconnected, and that's why Phil got the pot. Not sure if that's true, but I do believe it wasn't intentional.

Laughably, he also says that Greg Pierson was "persecuted" for being blamed for the UB superuser scandal (at about 1:34:30). LOL

Phil has been a longtime friend of Greg's.

Greg was the one in charge of "security" on UB at the time, and the tool used to cheat was developed under his watch. It has also been suggested that Greg used some of the cheating money to raise money for his wife's legal defense, as she cucked him and had sex with a teenage boy, and was arrested for it. (Not joking!)

And here: http://haleyspokerblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15373-Phil-Hellmuth-tells-Doug-Polk-that-he-initiated-UB-superuser-investigationShould league member be liable.....IS THIS A MATTER OF SCAMMING OR ETHICS?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15355-Should-league-member-be-liable-IS-THIS-A-MATTER-OF-SCAMMING-OR-ETHICS&goto=newpost
Fri, 04 Aug 2017 22:09:18 GMTI'm part of a small tight nit Facebook poker page (not RealGrinders! LOL) and we regularly run a league whether it be for a WSOP seat or a WSOPc Main Event Seat. (Our most recent completely league gave away 4 - $2.5k packages ---- $1.5k WSOP Buy-in + $1k travel money)

The league is played out over a 20 week period. 10 tournaments total spaced out every other week. The league cost is $500 but we allow members to break it down into 10 - $50 payments.

In the past this has never been a problem as again, it's a pretty small tight nit group.

This past week, a member of the league messaged the organizer that his work schedule had changed, and that his schedule with his child had changed and that he was going to have to quit the league. The league was 5 weeks in and he had $250 already invested. The organizer asked if he was going to still pay the $250 as he was already committed to the league. Instead of responding he SNAP deleted himself from the page and unfriended the organizer.

It was explained when the league was formed that if you quit the league for any reason you're to forfeit the league buy-in. ($500). He is trying to claim he thought he would just forfeit what he had put in and is refusing to pay the extra $250.

In your opinion is he a scammer by scamming the league out of $250....or is this just poor ethics?

-----A side note, and what many others believe.....he was dead last in the league as several poor performances....
-----In the last league he was the league champ and won a $2.5k seat.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15355-Should-league-member-be-liable-IS-THIS-A-MATTER-OF-SCAMMING-OR-ETHICShttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15346-Seven-Months-After-Smash-Bros-Tournament-Organizers-Say-They-Can-t-Pay-The-Winners&goto=newpost
Thu, 03 Aug 2017 20:56:08 GMTExpect to see more of this until serious regulations are put in place for esports:

Quote:

Some of the world’s best Smash Bros. players say they are owed thousands of dollars for their performances in a tournament called BEAST 7 held in Sweden last February.

Adam “Armada” Lindgren, the first place winner in the event’s Super Smash Bros. Melee bracket, tweeted yesterday that BEAST 7 had yet to provide “an explanation of exactly where all the money went,” and that the situation had been “handled in a really unprofessional way. Guess I have to talk to the other winners and see what we will do.”

Ramin “Mr. R” Delshad, who placed first in Smash 4 at BEAST 7, also posted yesterday about his missing winnings. He noted that head tournament organizer Alexander “Lolex” Gabrielsson had not responded to his emails since April, and that the rest of the BEAST tournament organizers had told him “not post anything about Lolex until their official statement.”

Compete reached out to Delshad, Lindgren and Lolex for further details yesterday and today, but did not hear back before press time. But it appears very unlikely that the players will be paid, based on comments other tournament officials have made publicly and to Compete.

Yesterday, BEAST staffer Viktor Johansson acknowledged on Reddit that there was a delay on delivering the prize pool, which totaled €12,720 (or $15,109.13) across six different game tournaments. In the statement, Johansson said he had concerns about Lolex’s financial strategy, even ahead of BEAST 7: “I did not want the money to be handled by Lolex only again, because the feeling that he isn’t the best with numbers was already present.” He added: “The way Lolex handled tournaments is pretty much why we’re in our current situation. ‘Going in blind’ is how I would describe it. He does not want to work with a budget.”

There have been other players who have claimed to been scammed by Zohair Karim (with over $1.6m in "earnings") presumably for stakes; Zo said he'd go on ChicagoJoey's podcast to say his side

also claims that Zohair oversold his ME package

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15335-Matt-Glantz-claims-Zohair-Karim-scammed-him-othersCalifornia Lottery refuses to pay out $5M Scratch ticket winnerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15298-California-Lottery-refuses-to-pay-out-5M-Scratch-ticket-winner&goto=newpost
Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:57:10 GMT50K each..
I get the lottery doesn't condone underage purchases but the argument could be made the minor didn't buy anything he simply exchanged the other tickets for more tickets.. Going to be interesting to see how this plays out and if Cali settles it out of court..
http://rare.us/rare-news/a-california-man-says-hes-suing-because-his-5-million-lottery-prize-hasnt-been-paid-out-for-this-reason/]]>Was the ticket counterfeit?? NOPE
Was the ticket a misprint??? NOPE

So WHY would California refuse to pay out the $5M winning ticket???

The California Lottery claims the ticket was purchased by the claimants underage son.. The man sent his son in with a couple low level cash winners to exchange for what would be the winning ticket and a couple others.. The CA Lottery said they investigate all winners including surveillance footage to ascertain if anything untoward happened when the ticket was purchased (in otherwards we have winning tickets out there and we want to find any loophole to NOT PAY out our obligations under the Lottery program)

The claimant is now suing both the Lottery and the store where the ticket was "exchanged" for what is stated as >50K each..

I get the lottery doesn't condone underage purchases but the argument could be made the minor didn't buy anything he simply exchanged the other tickets for more tickets.. Going to be interesting to see how this plays out and if Cali settles it out of court..

According to him, he was banned from all Caesars properties after being caught card counting in Baltimore 3 years ago. It appears he was using the name Joe Conor to play...Conor really being his middle name.

He later admits in tweets that he wasn't kicked out at the BJ table, but while he was in a poker tournament, they told him he was trespassing and kicked him out then, when he caused a disturbance that is when security told him he was banned from all properties.

He also admits he played a WPT @ another property he was banned from...Maryland Live...and they found out who he was but said they didn't care, just not to come back ----- I doubt the validity of this story

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]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15242-WSOP-Main-Event-Player-is-disqualified-after-it-s-found-he-is-banned-from-all-Caesars-PropertiesDegen Gambler with mental health issues claims he reported ACR to the FBI for reopening his account after he requested a permanent blockhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15203-Degen-Gambler-with-mental-health-issues-claims-he-reported-ACR-to-the-FBI-for-reopening-his-account-after-he-requested-a-permanent-block&goto=newpost
Fri, 07 Jul 2017 03:04:55 GMTI've heard of ACR unblocking accounts before that were suppose to never be unblocked and they shouldn't be doing that but the guy needs help.

Suicidal people (he claims he is) shouldn't be gambling or doing what might trigger them to go over the edge but a lot of the time they will find someway to get their fix. That isn't to say ACR is right to unblock him because they aren't but he would probably find a different way to get back into action if he's that addicted.

This is his story and the ACR rep on 2+2 says it's a bit different then that.

In the call he is so concerned about getting his $30 in rakeback which is LOL.

A call he made to Western Union telling them what ACR/BCP (WPN) is doing using them as a source for funding gambling accounts:

He sounds like much toned down version of hashtagking imo.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessBeerAndPokerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15203-Degen-Gambler-with-mental-health-issues-claims-he-reported-ACR-to-the-FBI-for-reopening-his-account-after-he-requested-a-permanent-blockhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15191-Crazy-story-about-an-innocent-kid-who-got-kidnapped-bc-of-his-college-fb-teammate-s-drug-dealing&goto=newpost
Wed, 05 Jul 2017 18:50:42 GMTThis situation could have easily been avoided if the University cared about the safety of it's students more than they care about covering up criminal activity on campus, so as not to deter potential applicants - they've got to keep those tuition check coming in.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessKilgore Trouthttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15171-Trooper97-CollusionMaurice Hawkins allegedly scams investor out of $22k last yearhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15165-Maurice-Hawkins-allegedly-scams-investor-out-of-22k-last-year&goto=newpost
Sun, 02 Jul 2017 00:39:25 GMTAs I post this, it seems to be a developing story. I can't even find anything about it on 4.

Today, someone I'm not familiar with, Hal Lewis, tweeted he was a backer for Maurice Hawkins in the 2016 WSOP and is owed $22,000. He claims to have messages but has not released them and claims he is taking him to court over it.

I personally have only had 2 indirect interactions with Maurice Hawkins, both of which was on the WSOP Circuit tour. He seemed to be both verbally aggressive and aggressive with his play. Likes to play the table bully. Other than that I really know nothing about him.

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/880874801262239744
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15165-Maurice-Hawkins-allegedly-scams-investor-out-of-22k-last-yearhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15106-King-s-Casino-Owner-Allegedly-Rips-Off-High-Stakes-Player&goto=newpost
Fri, 23 Jun 2017 00:53:14 GMTLeon Tsoukernik, the owner of the King's Casino in the Czech Republic is being sued by high stakes player "Aussie Matt" for 2 milly over failure to repay a loan at this WSOP...If you watched the Aria Super High Roller cash game last year you will recognize Aussie Matt...

Think it's ok to post a link to that other site so here's where you can read the subpoena...

Good to see caesars is doing business with such quality individuals...par for the course for these fucktards...
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessGambleBotsChafedPenishttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15106-King-s-Casino-Owner-Allegedly-Rips-Off-High-Stakes-PlayerColossal Problems at WSOP Colossus?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15026-Colossal-Problems-at-WSOP-Colossus&goto=newpost
Mon, 12 Jun 2017 17:32:58 GMTWith $1million at stake for the winner, the railing might be expected to get a bit noisy, but for Luke Vrabel it turned into a nightmare – the pro claiming that the floorman called him ‘an asshole’ and refused to prevent those watching the finale of the Colossus III event, including Matt Affleck’s girlfriend, from abusing him. ..... Full story here: https://www.pokertube.com/article/colossal-problems-at-wsop-colossus
Attachment 31295 (https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=31295)With $1million at stake for the winner, the railing might be expected to get a bit noisy, but for Luke Vrabel it turned into a nightmare – the pro claiming that the floorman called him ‘an asshole’ and refused to prevent those watching the finale of the Colossus III event, including Matt Affleck’s girlfriend, from abusing him. ..... Full story here: https://www.pokertube.com/article/co...-wsop-colossus

The article is a bit inaccurate, but Matt Glantz clarified for me, so read the cliffs below.

Cliffs: In a NL hand, Touil raised to 4200, Matt Glantz 3 bet to 11k, and Touil grabbed all of his remaining chips (54k), closed fisted in 2 hands, and started moving them forward toward the bet sitting in front of him. Glantz said that he "did a full motion across his cards, and arms fully extended in a circular motion", out front. His fists touched the felt, but the chips did not.

Matt jumped the gun a bit and believed that was Touil going all in, said out loud, "I call", and tabled his AK.

Turned out Touil only had AJ, saw he was likely going to lose, and then said he never actually went all-in.

A ruling was requested from the floor, and surprisingly they ruled on Touil's favor, because apparently the WSOP rule states that the chips aren't considered bet unless they leave your hand!

Glantz protested, but everything stood. They got the chips in anyway on the flop, and Touil rivered Glantz to double up.

Galfond did report a few months ago that Touil did eventually pay him back, after being called out.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?15008-Samuel-Touil-takes-brutal-angle-shot-at-Matt-Glantz-at-10k-Dealers-ChoiceFormer poker scammer Max Heinzelmann dies (possible suicide) at age 26https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14996-Former-poker-scammer-Max-Heinzelmann-dies-(possible-suicide)-at-age-26&goto=newpost
Thu, 08 Jun 2017 12:34:44 GMTTroubled poker pro Max Heinzelmann, aka "HotKarlMC", has died. While his death was listed as "natural causes", many believe he actually killed himself.

Max admitted that he did scam people, but I don't believe many (or any) ever got paid back.

Quote:

I am very well aware of what I did, and yes I did lie to a lot of people about what I did just to cover up what I did. I’m trying to figure out paying everyone back at this point and fixing and owning up to my mistakes. I don’t ever expect to have anyone respecting me again or anything for what I’ve done, and that’s fine. I’ve fucked up and I’m very well aware of that. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’m ashamed of the way I handled it. I’ll do my best to pay everyone back as quickly as I can and make sure that I own up to what I’ve done wrong. I’m in contact with the people that I owe money to and I’m trying to correct this as quickly as I can.

Max is perhaps best known for cracking Shaun Deeb's aces in the 2011 WSOP Main with A6o.

Laughably, a German poker site called pokerfirma.com wrote an obituary for Max, but titled it, "Seat Open". People thought it was in bad taste, and they quickly changed the title.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14996-Former-poker-scammer-Max-Heinzelmann-dies-(possible-suicide)-at-age-26Haralabos Voulgaris: WSOP RFID cards at 111k FT were markedhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14987-Haralabos-Voulgaris-WSOP-RFID-cards-at-111k-FT-were-marked&goto=newpost
Wed, 07 Jun 2017 03:34:25 GMT872274993052213248
872276435901087745
Looks af it it was more of a manufacturers error...as supposed to malfeasance by any of the players at the table...but still a potential major fail....esp considering most pros (and dealers I came across) have complained about the cards this whole wsop
872276796418383872

Looks af it it was more of a manufacturers error...as supposed to malfeasance by any of the players at the table...but still a potential major fail....esp considering most pros (and dealers I came across) have complained about the cards this whole wsop

I'm not sure if Doug Polk is the one to have called this out originally, but he has done a recent video on his thoughts:

Alec Torelli also makes a video on his Youtube channel highlighting the incident and seems to downplay his mistake of hiding chips in the whole ordeal. It's highlighted in Doug Polk's video (15:45 mark in the video)....I can't seem to find it on Torelli's Youtube page, albeit I didn't take a lot of time looking.

Here is the alleged response from the amateur player (I don't know the original source of this response, it was shared on a private FB group I'm apart of):

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessAhoosierAhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14952-Highstakes-Poker-Pro-Alec-Torelli-accused-of-angle-shooting-amateurNew rule: No content from 2+2 allowed to be reposted herehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14900-New-rule-No-content-from-2-2-allowed-to-be-reposted-here&goto=newpost
Fri, 26 May 2017 19:55:30 GMTMason Malmuth's lawyer e-mailed me on March 31 with a demand to cease posting (and to cease allowing others to post) 2+2 content on this site.

I did not see the e-mail until today, because he sent it to an e-mail address I rarely check.

While the vast, vast majority of posts on this site do NOT contain 2+2 content, I told the lawyer that I was willing to comply with this demand.

Therefore, when posting any content from 2+2 in the future, please only post links to the thread or specific post.

The letter did state an allowance of "brief snippets of Two Plus Two’s content for commentary purposes", referring to the concept of Fair Use. However, while not defined by the e-mail, I would like these "brief snippets" to contain no more than a few sentences. If more than that, please simply link the 2+2 thread or post.

CARSON CITY, NEV.
A secretly recorded conversation at a Reno coffee shop between the Nevada attorney general and the state's top casino watchdog has set off a political firestorm that includes a legislative inquiry set to begin Wednesday.

The dispute involves some of the most powerful political figures in the state and could have implications in the 2018 governor's race.

Democrats suggest Laxalt was doing the bidding of Adelson — who bankrolled his run for attorney general — when he requested an urgent meeting with the gambling regulator in March 2016. Laxalt wanted to discuss the state's involvement in a legal battle that painted an unflattering picture of Adelson.

Laxalt drove to Reno, picked up a soon-vacation-bound Burnett from a car dealership and drove them to a coffee shop to discuss the lawsuit, Burnett says.

He was so shocked by Laxalt's urgent and peculiar behavior, Burnett said, he decided it was in his and the state's best interest to surreptitiously record the conversation.

___

WHAT HAPPENED

Laxalt said in a February statement that he was approached last year by representatives of Adelson's Las Vegas Sands Corp., who asked the state to intervene in the lawsuit.

According to a transcript of Burnett's audio recording, Laxalt took that request to the state's gambling regulator at the coffee shop. Laxalt asked Burnett to file a legal opinion that would have favored Adelson's company and the confidentiality of gambling audits, telling Burnett, "Don't go soft on me."

"I think it is a challenging request because it will look like the Sands is getting a special thing," Laxalt said, adding "and so I wouldn't do anything that jeopardizes me either."

Burnett agreed "the optics would be horrendous" and said intervening in a civil case involving a casino that is licensed and regulated by his board would be a slippery slope. After Burnett argued the move would be improper and unnecessary, Laxalt backed off, saying "I'm not trying to pitch a side or anything on it."

___

What a shit show http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/bu...150906327.html
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14827-Nevada-attorney-general-faces-ethics-probe-involving-AdelsonPokerStars goes offline - people get screwedhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14824-PokerStars-goes-offline-people-get-screwed&goto=newpost
Tue, 16 May 2017 01:29:51 GMTSaw this posted on fb so can't confirm the truth of this, but thought Druff might want to investigate.

Supposeldy a $10k Spin-N-Go prize was not awarded because it was canceled.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessMrTicklehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14824-PokerStars-goes-offline-people-get-screwedhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14810-Afraid-of-staying-at-the-Rio-during-WSOP-Don-t-be!&goto=newpost
Fri, 12 May 2017 22:11:04 GMTEvery year we keep hearing stories about "thefts" from Rio rooms. Supposedly the safes keep being broken into, laptops get stolen, and basically it is portrayed that the property is a hotbed of crime perpetrated by the hotel's evil staff.

This is FALSE!

While there are some isolated incidents of staff-perpetrated crime at the Rio, in reality this is VERY UNCOMMON, and in most cases these "victims" are simply making up stories or covering up for their own carelessness.

When a Rio room theft is reported on social media, ask yourself these questions:

1) Is the victim backed or staked?
Often players who show up to play WSOP events using other people's money can't help themselves, and they shoot it off in the pits or poker cash games. Rather than admit to having stolen the money, they blame it on theft.

2) Is the victim in Vegas with what appears to be his only money?
Many people don't like admitting to failure, especially if they hold themselves out to be a successful poker pro. Even when they lose their own money, some players like to make excuses why they're not playing the WSOP events they said they would enter. It's much easier to say, "All the money I brought disappeared from my safe!" than, "I brought my last $3000 to Vegas, and I lost it playing $10/$20 NL last night."

3) Does the victim have a gambling problem?
As an extension to the two points listed above, a "theft victim" with a known gambling problem is far more likely to manufacture a story explaining money disappearing than a non-degenerate. You should take any "OMG they stole everything" stories from a degenerate gambler with a grain of salt.

4) Is there a roommate?
A surprisingly high percentage of Rio theft "victims" have a roommate. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what probably actually happened.

5) Did the victim invite others into his room recently, such as hookers or other degen gamblers?
Access is often key. Often visitors will see the room occupant entering his safe code and then steal money when he's out of the room or sleeping. Other times the safe won't be closed correctly, also allowing stuff to be stolen. In a few cases, security sometimes forgets to ask for ID when a person in the room requests a "forgotten password" safe to be unlocked. In general, you shouldn't let ANYONE in your room while you're sleeping, drunk, or gone, unless you have extreme trust in them.

6) Did the victim leave valuables out in plain sight?
This occurs way more often than you think. Maids in general don't steal things, but if tempted with something easy (cash, expensive jewelry, etc), they might do it. Also, valuables in plain sight can be stolen by room visitors, maintenance men, etc. Always lock valuables in the safe.

7) Did the victim make his room number public to numerous people?
Rio security isn't perfect. If someone knows your room number, and knows you're busy (such as in the middle of playing a WSOP event), they can attempt to access your room in various ways. Therefore, keeping your room number secret (to everyone besides trusted friends) is important. Someone mouthing off about his room number in public is asking to be a victim of crime. He's also more likely to be the victim of a "hallway mugging".

8) Does the victim often tell "Look what bad thing happened to me!" stories?
Unfortunately, some people just love attention, and some get it by constantly claiming victimhood. If the theft "victim" is someone who seems to be in the middle of unverifiable crises on a near-daily basis, it's wise to discount their claims.

9) Does the victim often abuse drugs or alcohol?
It's hard to remember exactly what you did (or even who you were with) when wasted on alcohol or drugs. If you wake up from a drug binge and find all of your money gone, it's probably at least partially your fault in some way.

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, then the "Rio theft victim" is likely either not telling the truth or caused their own problem to some extent.

Use common sense, and you are unlikely to be a victim there!
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14810-Afraid-of-staying-at-the-Rio-during-WSOP-Don-t-be!JaoPoker -- combining a shady online poker site and multi-level marketing! What could go wrong?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14803-JaoPoker-combining-a-shady-online-poker-site-and-multi-level-marketing!-What-could-go-wrong&goto=newpost
Thu, 11 May 2017 17:50:25 GMTWe all know about the existence of shady online poker sites.

And most of us know that multi-level marketing schemes are generally a scam.

But what if someone combined the elements of BOTH the lack of trust of a sketchy online poker site AND the unsustainable pyramid model of multi-level marketing? Doesn't sound like a place you'd love to play?

Introducing JaoPoker -- a poker site combining both of these exciting elements!

Here is a nice boy named Tam Nguyen, explaining all about JaoPoker:

Jump to about the 3 minute mark if you want to hear about the LOL affiliate stuff.

The site is at https://jaopoker.com ... but they also run the Jao Network for the "business side" of the network. On the Jao Network site, you can watch some more videos about the marketing part.

JaoPoker requires an affiliate code to sign up. This guarantees that everyone playing is under some affiliate, and thus the pyramid begins.

As with all multi-level marketing schemes, you supposedly get rewarded both when people sign up directly under you, as well as when they sign up under those who originally signed up under you. See, each new player can also get his own affiliate code, and they are encouraged to sign up others. Therefore, if a player you referred then refers others with their code, you still get a piece of the action. Sweet, amirite? And totally sustainable, of course, just like all multi-level marketing schemes!

Now, before you run over to Jao and sign up, figuring, "What do I have to lose?", there's a bit of a problem.

You need to pay money to be a recruiter and get your own referral code. So if you really do want some of that sweet referral money, you need to pay up front. This is often the hallmark of a multi-level marketing scam. You have to pay into the wonderful, can't-miss moneymaking scheme before attempting to sell it. In most cases, you're actually selling the opportunity to sell, rather than a viable product.

But what if you just want to skip all the referral stuff and just play poker? Is it at least a decent and reliable site?

Well, let's see...

It's based in Cambodia and supposedly licensed there. Feel safe yet?

You are allowed to play from the US.

But you might wonder about payment processing. How is a new site, illegally operating in the US, processing payments?

They're using Paypal!

:lol

Not kidding.

PayPal, which has a very strict anti-gambling stance, is JaoPoker's method of payment.

Sounds like a great long-term plan, huh?

Nevertheless, there are lots of get-rich-quick wannabes promoting Jao Poker behind the scenes, and attempting to present it as a legitimate poker (and affiliate) option.

Apparently people are mostly marketing this through Facebook poker and gambling groups, fearing that forums full of more experienced players (such as PokerFraudAlert, 2+2, and Pocketfives) will laugh them off the page.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14803-JaoPoker-combining-a-shady-online-poker-site-and-multi-level-marketing!-What-could-go-wrongSports bettor ‘Vegas Dave’ indicted on charges of misusing Social Security numbershttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14642-Sports-bettor-‘Vegas-Dave’-indicted-on-charges-of-misusing-Social-Security-numbers&goto=newpost
Thu, 13 Apr 2017 02:23:33 GMTIf you follow the sports betting (or sports betting trolling) scene, you know of this guy. He would often "selfie brag" about his big bets and longshots, as those on social media were skeptical of his wins and bets legitimacy.

Quote:

Professional gambler David Oancea, who goes by the nickname “Vegas Dave,” came up short Wednesday when a federal grand jury indicted him on charges that he used phony Social Security numbers to open player accounts at area casinos and sportsbooks.
The well-known sports bettor has amassed hundreds of thousands of social media followers by promoting his ability to win big on long-shot bets — or, as his website describes it, “beat Vegas.” Now, he will be tasked not with beating the odds but with beating the charges contained in the 19-count indictment against him.
According to the indictment, Oancea provided casinos and sportsbooks with Social Security numbers that belonged either to nobody or to someone other than him.

Oancea could not be reached for comment Wednesday on the indictment.
He is accused of using others’ Social Security numbers to make nine transactions, totaling roughly $3.5 million, at Wynn Las Vegas and Westgate casinos. As a result, the two casinos filed false currency transaction reports, the indictment states.
Under federal law, casinos are required to prepare and submit reports of transactions that exceed $10,000. The indictment charges that casinos prepared and submitted at least 137 false reports as a result of Oancea’s use of at least two fraudulent Social Security numbers.
The indictment also seeks an order to force Oancea to forfeit about $881,600 — part of the fortune he has won off of sports betting.
In 2015, Oancea collected $2.5 million after betting $100,000 on the Kansas City Royals to win the World Series. The following year, he won a record-setting $2.3 million off an NFL future bet he placed on the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl. His website also assigns him the nickname “Futures King.”

Looks like Dave is in trouble with LV Metro too: (and good point made in the tweet JSTAT has been saying for years):

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14642-Sports-bettor-‘Vegas-Dave’-indicted-on-charges-of-misusing-Social-Security-numbersAbsolute Poker Remission process beginning?https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14623-Absolute-Poker-Remission-process-beginning&goto=newpost
Mon, 10 Apr 2017 19:26:24 GMTInteresting development today on AP Remission process.
June 9th. 2017 is the deadline to file.
DOJ to set up remission process for players who lost $$ on Absolute Poker: https://t.co/wv6X3D05aX
Website (similar to GCC/FTP) for people to file claims http://www.absolutepokerclaims.com/
From Kevmath below:
851511540893327361
851515212599631873
UB could also be a part of the process:
851522288080089089
851563209290993664Interesting development today on AP Remission process.

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/851563209290993664
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessShizzmoneyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14623-Absolute-Poker-Remission-process-beginningJnolanPoker Josh Nolan Scammer (BE AWARE) DO NOT BACK OR STAKEhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14617-JnolanPoker-Josh-Nolan-Scammer-(BE-AWARE)-DO-NOT-BACK-OR-STAKE&goto=newpost
Sun, 09 Apr 2017 22:01:42 GMTWell I got scammed by a member of the poker community. It is not a big hit but it is the first time I have had this feeling off getting robbed online. The guys twitter is JNOLANPOKER He has alot of personal information in his tweets from his address showed on a check and a lot of personal family info. So it all started when i wanted to give ACR a try and was looking for someone to get some money on there for me which i had paypal funds. So he approached me and i seen he had a pretty decent twitter following and I was like alright I'll send first to you (Had no thought he would steal a pityfull $40). He pretty much told me he did not get it yet yada yada so i give him a little bit of time and contacted Paypal regarding the funds, they confirmed to me the money is in his account and the transaction had been completed on their end. Paypal had sent him an email to let him know that the funds were there. Mr Josh Nolan than proceeded to block me and disable me viewing his profile.

You are blocked from following @jnolanpoker and viewing @jnolanpoker's Tweets. Learn more

Dont trust this guy at ALL if he scams for $40USD. Considering this a warning to the poker community as he is well involved in trying to get backing/staking though noone accepts his application anyways but for that one person that might I hope you see this. Got a bunch of other evidence to show the money hit his account but i dont think much more is needed other than that this guy is a low life scum bag. Be aware.

Here is a little bit about Josh Nolan from his twitch channel.

Welcome to the channel. I'm Josh and 26 from Virginia. I've been playing fps games for 10 years or so (mainly counter-strike) and within the last 2 years ive picked up poker and been serious about it since. I've had a decent amount of success online/live. I cant teach you to be a high roller but I can certainly help you become a winning player and make a little extra money monthly. Below are some tracking websites of my mtt cashes, but I mainly focus on playing cash games.

Cashes arent recorded on Bovada because of anonymous usernames, sadface.

Enjoy your stay and ask questions and ill try to get to them in chat or priv msg me.

How old am I? -I'm 26

Where are you from? -Virginia

Whats the most you've won in a day? -About 15k

Whats the most you've lost in a day? -About 17k

Do you ever stream games? -I would like to but my computer cant handle it without alot of lag so hopefully update computer in the future.

What games do you stream? -Mainly CSGO, TF2, L4D2, and open to other suggestions
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessNextRackhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14617-JnolanPoker-Josh-Nolan-Scammer-(BE-AWARE)-DO-NOT-BACK-OR-STAKEhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14607-Female-quot-Good-luck-charm-quot-keeps-100k-jackpot&goto=newpost
Thu, 06 Apr 2017 16:43:29 GMTA high-stakes gambler was feeding a $50/spin slot machine and letting a female "friend" push the button for him as a good luck charm. She hits a jackpot for $100k. The casino pays her since she placed the bet and she walks out with the money.

My guess is she knew this going in and anytime she was with him probably talked him into letting her play for good luck.

I did not see the subject has already been posted...
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessRileyGhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14606-Bicycle-Casino-raidedAmericas Cardroom under DDOS attack.. Series in jeopardy.https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14605-Americas-Cardroom-under-DDOS-attack-Series-in-jeopardy&goto=newpost
Thu, 06 Apr 2017 01:13:15 GMTHow long do DDOS attacks usually last?
FYI heard this from LostInPoker on Twitch.How long do DDOS attacks usually last?

FYI heard this from LostInPoker on Twitch.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessanonymouspokerplayerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14605-Americas-Cardroom-under-DDOS-attack-Series-in-jeopardyBlack chip poker ddos attackhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14602-Black-chip-poker-ddos-attack&goto=newpost
Wed, 05 Apr 2017 23:02:30 GMTI was playing a tournament last night on Black Chip poker and a message popped up saying tournament was paused by the site. Ten minutes later it said they were experiencing DDOS attacks aimed at their server and that the tournament was cancelled. Immediately after that I get a pop up saying my computer was infected by the Zeus virus and that I needed to call some 800 number to get it removed or my hard drive will be erased. A anti malware program easily removed it. Just an fyiI was playing a tournament last night on Black Chip poker and a message popped up saying tournament was paused by the site. Ten minutes later it said they were experiencing DDOS attacks aimed at their server and that the tournament was cancelled. Immediately after that I get a pop up saying my computer was infected by the Zeus virus and that I needed to call some 800 number to get it removed or my hard drive will be erased. A anti malware program easily removed it. Just an fyi
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinesshutmasterhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14602-Black-chip-poker-ddos-attackFederal warrant executed at Bicycle Casinohttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14590-Federal-warrant-executed-at-Bicycle-Casino&goto=newpost
Tue, 04 Apr 2017 15:16:44 GMTNot many details as to exactly what is going on ATM. It appears they're under criminal investigation for IRS related crimes?

Bosom buddies Phil Mickelson and Billy Walters.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessJohnCommodehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14575-Mickelson-Walters-insider-trading-and-a-2-million-gambling-debthttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14568-Report-America-s-Cardroom-removes-million-dollar-jackpot-after-people-paid-into-it&goto=newpost
Sat, 01 Apr 2017 06:34:12 GMTThis is an incomplete and unconfirmed report, but I am hearing rumblings of it, so I will put it out there and see if anyone can give me more information.

Supposedly ACR has some version of Pokerstars' Spin-n-Gos, and one of the prizes is a million dollars.

I am hearing that ACR just abruptly removed the million dollar prize (which built up from over-raking the games to pay for it) without actually awarding it.

I asked if it's possible that they perhaps just transferred the other prizes to occur more often, in place of the million dollars, and I haven't gotten an answer to that yet.

But if they really did just remove a prize that users paid into, without actually awarding it, then we definitely have a scandal on our hands.

Anyone know about this?
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14568-Report-America-s-Cardroom-removes-million-dollar-jackpot-after-people-paid-into-itMore drama on RealGrinders involving another possible scammerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14566-More-drama-on-RealGrinders-involving-another-possible-scammer&goto=newpost
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 23:27:48 GMTApparently theres a shit ton of drama ongoing on RealGrinders FB page right now involving a posting about some guy names Michael Ralph Sutton scamming some people. Whats complicated it is that one of Ray Davis' mods a female named Terry King killed the posting and didn't deny it. Several other folks have now either left the group due to what they see as two faced mod bullshit (can we say 2+2 where mods cover up shady shit by a member) and Rays only response himself has been to say he also booted a couple folks and told one person not to let the door hit them in the ass if they decide to leave.. I must say if the accusations are true that RG would legit bury news of a shady member especially after the fiasco they just had involving that female member who bullshitted people.

To the meat of the matter several folks have claimed they lent this guy money and haven't seen a dime (theres a surprise). And a couple folks making excuses that he just must be in a bad way right now and hope he gets things turned around..

I'm assuming we have another PFA member online there, as they posted for somebody to post it on PFA think its likely Scott from the East Coast (just a guess based on the name and location).
]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadinessftpjesushttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14566-More-drama-on-RealGrinders-involving-another-possible-scammerslots.lv (Bovada sister site) suspends account of bonus whorehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14559-slots-lv-(Bovada-sister-site)-suspends-account-of-bonus-whore&goto=newpost
Thu, 30 Mar 2017 10:05:55 GMTA 2+2 user named "juicemaster" posted the following:

Quote:

On march 10th, I opened a slots.lv account. I used one of their bitcoin welcome bonuses, I dont remember exactly which one. I believe the bonus allows up to 8 attempts. I dont remember how many attempts I made, but on the 3rd or 4th try I ran super hot and ran my account upwards of 32k. Upon satisfying the playthrough requirements I immediately attempted a maximum withdrawal of $9500. Their software prompted me that I would be receiving $2500 every 3 days until the total of $9500 was withdrawn. March 13th, I received my first $2500, and march 16th I received my second $2500. However, then 10 days passed and I still had not yet received my 3rd installment of withdrawal. Meanwhile, I continued to play almost every day, without using any bonuses or anything like that. Finally, yesterday, I receive an email saying that "I" cancelled my withdraw and I was unable to log into my account.

So I called into customer service and was told I needed to speak with their security team. I then found myself on the line with a man named, Diego, who seemed respectable and reasonable at first. He started asking me all kinds of questions that seemed very bizarre to me. For example he asked me how much I was betting per hand. I told him I was betting between $50-$500 (max bet). He then told me it was very bizarre that I had such a wide betting spread. Are you serious!? How weird is this!? I felt like I was being accused of something, but I didnt know what. He then tells me verbatim "Isnt it also bizarre that you would bet $500 when I only have a few thousand in my account... Do you think thats good bankroll management?" Once again, I have no idea what is going on here... what do these questions and weird accusations have to do with anything? How does this Diego have any idea what my "bankroll is"? And how is this any of their business? When I demand to know why Im being asked these questions, he says because Im violating their terms of service by abusing their bonus. I asked him what he means by this and he tells me that the bonuses are for recreational players and that I have a "winning betting strategy." I didnt realize there were winning betting strategies in online black jack .... Could this get any stranger? At this point I am completely flabbergasted by what Im hearing and almost think Im being pranked by this company. He then asks me if I know anyone else with a slots.lv account. I tell him yes, my mother does, and she also had her account locked. He then tells me that I am violating a second term of service by multi accounting. I ask him how exactly I broke this term and he responds "I dont have to tell you." I know that they havent linked IP addresses because I have never logged onto my mothers account, ever, and she has never logged onto mine, ever. Let me make that clear, we have never logged into each others accounts from the same house hold. I live in downtown los angeles and my mother lives in Lake Elsinore. I demand to know what evidence he has of my multi accounting and he assures me he has evidence, but he wont tell me what it is. The only possible way they could associate my account with my mothers is by noticing that the bitcoin she used to deposit was once on my computer. I sent her bitcoin, to her own wallet, which she used to deposit. Is this against the rules? He attempts to conclude the phone call by asking me if I have any questions, so I once again inquire about this so called evidence that I am multi accounting ... he responds verbatim "Ill have the evidence by the time Im done investigating you." I thought I might have to worry about this kind of stuff from your local bookie, not from a huge reputable company like Bovada. I cant believe this is happening .. I recorded the phone call and can provide it to anyone who thinks they can help me in this matter.

On top of it all, they have frozen my Ignition account, which I only play poker on and have been playing on for months.

I think I believe him... for the most part.

Cliffs:

- He deposited repeatedly using a "bitcoin welcome bonus"

- On the 4th deposit, he ran the balance way up, and cleared the playthrough. He attempted to withdraw the maximum $9500 in a single transaction. He likely won more than that, though.

- After processing $5k of withdrawals, they froze his account and forced him to speak to "Diego" in security.

- Diego accused him of using a "winning betting strategy", and also of multiaccounting using his mom's info

- They won't give him the evidence against him of either accusation, and his account remains suspended while they still investigate

- They also shut down his Ignition account. Why??

- He recorded the call. Maybe we will have him on the next PFA Radio

My feelings:

- He was definitely bonus whoring, likely depositing the minimum to get the maximum bitcoin bonus, running the slots, and then redepositing that exact same amount repeatedly.

- It is likely that he determined a +EV or near +EV way to do this, and was likely betting big in a strategy to clear the playthrough quickly.

- I don't believe his mom was playing on her own. It was almost surely a second account for him to use for this purpose.

- Despite this, I feel Bovada/Slots.lv is being petty. If they offer a bonus and allow you to redeem it repeatedly by their own rules, they can't complain when someone takes them up on it and wins.

- I would love to know why they shut down his Ignition account, when it's supposedly a different company owning that site (even though we know it isn't)

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/28...asons-1660856/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14559-slots-lv-(Bovada-sister-site)-suspends-account-of-bonus-whoreShould Druff Banhammer Game Protect for the sake of PFA and its members??https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14477-Should-Druff-Banhammer-Game-Protect-for-the-sake-of-PFA-and-its-members&goto=newpost
Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:06:06 GMTNot one to usually go this route but this person just pops up like a cockroach with nothing worthwhile other then to spew off useless diabtribes about going after poker sites which are bankrupt .. Somehow this clown thinks there is some way to get blood from a turnip.. Just tired of the nonsense at this point from Game Protect.. Get a clue GP your comments are useless spew.. You've never accomplished one positive effort when it comes to crap like full flush, lock or anythingelse. Youre full of shit and we all know it.. Take your false empty bullshit promises somewherelse.. Maybe go over to 4 and suck Masons dick and the idiots in NVG will listen to your useless drivel.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessRyback_feed_me_morehttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14477-Should-Druff-Banhammer-Game-Protect-for-the-sake-of-PFA-and-its-membersFull flush sold!!https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14470-Full-flush-sold!!&goto=newpost
Mon, 13 Mar 2017 17:42:17 GMTWhen you google full flush to see if anything is going down the website has a statement saying

The domain name has been sold..

The new owners do not have your money and owe no debts to player's ECT ect

Doug Polk said in a video blog released Wednesday that when he was first starting out in poker he looked up to Tom Dwan, who was once one of—if not the—most feared online cash game players in the world.

These days, Polk isn’t a big fan.

In the blog, Polk said that Dwan, commonly known by his online moniker “durrrr”, could have a massive outstanding debt to one of the world’s most successful sports bettors.

According to Polk, some strong “evidence” points to Dwan being the person who owes Haralabos Voulgaris a “seven figure” amount of money. Voulgaris said a year ago that a player in the high-stakes poker community hasn’t made good on an old debt. He wouldn’t name the player.

Eric was accused (and likely guilty) of scamming in 2011, where he sold over $45k in WSOP action, then made off with almost all of the money. He played a single event -- the $2500 8-game, and cashed about $5700. He ran off with that money and the rest of the nearly $43k in stakes he had collected for other events.

"According to the arrest report, Conti would repeatedly touch the boys inappropriately, in front of one another, and make them touch him."

What a fucking sicko.

Apparently the police established an ironclad case against him through a "controlled phone call". These calls take place where law enforcement has the victim or cooperating witness call the accused in their presence, and try to say things to get them to admit what they were doing. In this case, the boys called Conti and begged him to stop molesting them. It is not clear what Conti said in response, but it was enough to give the prosecution a very strong case.

Not sure why he only got eight year concurrent sentences. It boggles my mind that someone could molest two boys like that, repeatedly, and get a relatively light sentence.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14438-Poker-scammer-Eric-Conti-convicted-of-child-molestationRobert Mizrachi accused of being racist by Raymond Davishttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14435-Robert-Mizrachi-accused-of-being-racist-by-Raymond-Davis&goto=newpost
Mon, 06 Mar 2017 16:29:36 GMTYesterday Raymond Davis posted a story on his Facebook of Robert Mizrachi using Raymond by asking him to come along so he would feel more comfortable going into a "ghetto" strip club. He has also made several other posts including examples and screen shots of where Robert claims to make a false police report against Raymond and saying the police will believe him (Robert) over Raymond because Raymond is black. Another post w/ a screen shot from none other than the ICEMAN himself about Robert Mizrachi being a racist.

Then Michael Mizrachi makes a post on Robert's Facebook wall defending his brother.

I have a feeling I'm going to be pissed off when the deal is announced.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14379-Scott-Tom-surrenders-to-US-authorities-likely-to-make-plea-dealFernando Rosas, Jaclynn Moskow allege Jason Mercier spreading cheating rumors about themhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14372-Fernando-Rosas-Jaclynn-Moskow-allege-Jason-Mercier-spreading-cheating-rumors-about-them&goto=newpost
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:00:22 GMTI've actually known about this story for awhile, but I agreed to keep it secret, as the person who told me did so in confidence.

He also tweeted to Jaclynn, "keep cheating in ofc, you'll go far in poker".

So what's this all about?

Here's a post made to 2+2 by her friend Fernando Rosas:

Quote:

My name is Fernando Rosas (relaxursoul on Pineapple app) and I have been playing OFC obsessively for almost a year and a half. Around November 2015, I started playing Natasha Mercier on the app. She accepted because a player, who I was down about 1000 points to, referred her to me. Natasha ended up losing over 1900 points to me on the app.

At the 2016 PCA, I met Natasha in person and we played live OFC. This was my very first time playing the game live as opposed to on the app. When playing live, there are some very distinct adjustments one has to make when they have only played on the app. For example, being able to identify optimal fantasy land sets quickly without a sort button, counting the points in the hand (the app does this automatically), memorizing discards (on the app there is no need to memorize since you can see them there), and being able to distinguish suits clearly (the app has a 4 colored deck.) The first time I played Natasha live, she did not know that I had never played the game live before. I looked like a complete beginner during our session since I was playing extremely slow due to the new things I had to consider. Additionally, we were playing a mixture of high, low, and BDP, which was a game I had never played before, and she beat me during our short live session. I later learned that at the PCA she had told a well known player that I was probably cheating on the app via a bot.

Some months later, Natasha and I played in Vegas again and I remember clearly that she asked if she could see my app games. I showed her my games, which were mostly in the positive, and this information coupled with the fact that I played like a live beginner perpetuated her suspicion that I was using a bot on the app. During the WSOP, at one point Jason was asking for 5.5 odds to win the 3rd bracelet, so I asked him if he would do a 1500 point OFC race if I were to give him action on the bracelet bet. He declined. Weeks later, I offered to do a race to 1000 points and proposed that if he were to lose the race, I would play him any poker game HU after agreeing on parameters. Again he declined, and said in writing that he would never play me on the app, but would play me live.

As of now, one OFC player has confirmed to me that Jason told him directly that I was using a bot. Another player who I’m playing has complained to me about the rumors and finds the situation a tough spot now that I am up a significant number of points. From Mercier’s perspective and with all the information he has, I genuinely understand why he and Natasha arrived at this conclusion. When people ask him what he thinks about me, I do believe he is being sincere by stating he thinks I am cheating and I also believe he does not have any intention of defaming me, but rather has the intention of protecting people who he thinks can be cheated. Unfortunately, this kills almost all my action since most OFC players know Jason, and the rumor has spread to the point where I find it very difficult to find new action. As an OFC player who is not well known, my method of getting action is by offering to play and post to who I consider reputable players on the app. After the WSOP, two well known players agreed to play me, but then later on declined. There is a strong probability it was due to the bot rumor as they have direct connections to Jason.

After the WSOP, I put out several live streams of me playing OFC on Twitch. In one of the streams, a close friend, Jaclynn Moskow, appeared playing against me. Shortly after her appearance, Natasha quit playing her on the app. Jaclynn and I are both high volume OFC players and we have spent a considerable amount of time discussing and studying the game. Once it was known that we were friends, the bot rumor affected her directly. As she has been looking for action, multiple players have agreed to play her and then subsequently rescinded. Furthermore, these rumors have evolved to the point where public accusations of her cheating have been made.

If Jason or anyone else has any evidence of the “bot” I would be glad to see it.

Fernando made the above post at 12:15am today, about 5 1/2 hours after Shaun's tweet.

I was told awhile ago about this whole Mercier/Fernando Rosas/Moskow controversy, and that Fernando was long considering coming out and making a post like the above.

However, I was also told that Fernando knew it was a double-edged sword. If he posted that he was accused of cheating, he would be labeled a cheater in many people's minds, whether he was actually right or wrong. I understood this logic, as much of this is based upon assumptions and circumstantial evidence, thus making such accusations difficult to disprove.

I was told not to say anything about it, but that Fernando would likely be coming out "shortly" to make a statement. This didn't happen for awhile, but I guess Shaun kinda forced his hand with that tweet.

Bot accusations can be difficult, because they are hard to both prove and disprove.

This reminds me a lot of a controversy on Full Tilt (in 2009) involving a player named Sillysal (Lary Kennedy). She was eventually banned and had her money confiscated for botting. Lary insisted that she was innocent, and in fact met with me in person to explain the whole thing to me. Unfortunately, while she was somewhat winning the public relations war regarding the botting accusations (in which Full Tilt's reps did a piss poor job of explaining their "evidence"), she lost credibility with the public after it came out that she was multi-accounting. While I didn't like the fact that she multi-accounted, I came away with the belief that she had indeed been falsely accused of botting, partially due to the fact that I had played a lot of hands with her and witnessed a lot of tilt -- something a bot would never do. Her play also lacked many common features of bots at the time, such as overly calling down A and K high (that is, bots did it, she didn't).

Still, there were plenty of similarities. Lary was a big winning player online, but she would never play live (despite living in the LA area), and wouldn't play anything but heads-up online. It was never clear how she learned to become a winning heads up player, never having a known history in holdem prior to her sudden appearance in fairly high stakes heads up games online. Also, there were rumors that her boyfriend had the technical expertise to create or operate heads-up limit holdem bots. Still, I believed she was innocent, but I was in the minority.

Fernando also says he only plays online, and seemed to crush everyone. However, by his own admission, he appeared clueless when playing Natasha Mercier (formerly Natasha Barbour) live, and lost fairly badly to her. This caused Jason Mercier to start spreading rumors that Fernando was winning via botting, and I know for a fact that it was affecting the action both he and Jaclynn got.

So were Jaclynn and Fernando botting?

There's no way to tell for sure, but I'm leaning on the belief that, no, they were not.

My belief primarily hinges upon the fact that Fernando was willing to play Natasha live. If he was truly winning thanks to a bot, he wouldn't have taken on the same players live, knowing he would be both an underdog and likely be discovered for what he was doing. Yes, I suppose it's possible he improperly believed he could still win without the bot, but you would think he wouldn't risk it if he had the online-OFC gravy train running smoothly.

At the same time, it's not at all hard to believe that someone would develop a bot to beat OFC, especially given the lucrative returns from such a venture if the bot could be programmed well enough.

I am now on much better terms with Jaclynn Moskow than I was during the Nolan Dalla controversy. I might be able to come onto radio today, or perhaps I could get her friend Fernando to come on. More on that later.
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessDan Druffhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14372-Fernando-Rosas-Jaclynn-Moskow-allege-Jason-Mercier-spreading-cheating-rumors-about-themBetOnline Live Dealer cheating (video) and they possibly have hired former Absolute Poker Payment Processor Brent Beckleyhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14353-BetOnline-Live-Dealer-cheating-(video)-and-they-possibly-have-hired-former-Absolute-Poker-Payment-Processor-Brent-Beckley&goto=newpost
Sun, 19 Feb 2017 23:40:33 GMTI've watched the video in the clip and have played on this site. The thing is they don't need to cheat to win over the long run so the card could have just been stuck but the dealer clearly messes up.

They just recently went from 50% penetration to 25% on an 8 deck shoe for this particular dealer site and their hand shuffle seems very weak as well but I've never made much out of it.

BetOnline uses Costa Rica-based Global Gaming Labs (GGL) for its live casino service, which also offers live baccarat and roulette. GGL has also yet to publicly comment on the incident.

This is the second time this week that BetOnline has found itself in controversial crosshairs, following rumors that former Absolute Poker payments director Brent Beckley – fresh out of federal prison for Black Friday-related bank fraud charges – had joined the online sportsbook in an undetermined capacity.

Here is a link to the Brent Beckley rumors:

http://calvinayre.com/2017/02/19/bus...ins-betonline/
]]>Scams, Scandals, and ShadinessBeerAndPokerhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14353-BetOnline-Live-Dealer-cheating-(video)-and-they-possibly-have-hired-former-Absolute-Poker-Payment-Processor-Brent-BeckleyLocalbitcoins.com allowing gift card sellers to get away with fraudhttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14330-Localbitcoins-com-allowing-gift-card-sellers-to-get-away-with-fraud&goto=newpost
Thu, 16 Feb 2017 06:25:42 GMTI recently bought $700 in Amazon gift cards from a "reputable seller" on lbc (localbitcoins)
Sellers name on lbc is DanieleTucker
The cards worked fine I ordered some stuff and everything was good. 3 days later my amazon account was closed and my money and orders were canceled.

I have been asking lbc support to ask the seller of the gift cards to provide proof where he or she bought them. They are basically putting it all on me to provide proof and they won't do anything about it.

It is perfect for the scammers and lbc because Amazon has a policy of keeping quiet and keeping customers in the dark. They sent me the same email 6 times now after calling several times, tweeting amazon help and trying to have them send an email that says "gift card # was invalid and this is why we closed your account. "

Amazon will not give any details, I will provide images of the email and other details of the lbc seller " danieletucker "
Who is selling around 250- 500 bitcoin worth of Amazon gift cards as well as other gift cards per year.

Attached Images

]]>Scams, Scandals, and Shadiness651https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14330-Localbitcoins-com-allowing-gift-card-sellers-to-get-away-with-fraudRussians engineer a brilliant slot machine cheathttps://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/showthread.php?14320-Russians-engineer-a-brilliant-slot-machine-cheat&goto=newpost
Tue, 14 Feb 2017 12:45:16 GMTIn early June 2014, accountants at the Lumiere Place Casino in St. Louis noticed that several of their slot machines had—just for a couple of days—gone haywire. The government-approved software that powers such machines gives the house a fixed mathematical edge, so that casinos can be certain of how much they’ll earn over the long haul—say, 7.129 cents for every dollar played. But on June 2 and 3, a number of Lumiere’s machines had spit out far more money than they’d consumed, despite not awarding any major jackpots, an aberration known in industry parlance as a negative hold. Since code isn’t prone to sudden fits of madness, the only plausible explanation was that someone was cheating.Casino security pulled up the surveillance tapes and eventually spotted the culprit, a black-haired man in his thirties who wore a Polo zip-up and carried a square brown purse. Unlike most slots cheats, he didn’t appear to tinker with any of the machines he targeted, all of which were older models manufactured by Aristocrat Leisure of Australia. Instead he’d simply play, pushing the buttons on a game like Star Drifter or Pelican Pete while furtively holding his iPhone close to the screen.

He’d walk away after a few minutes, then return a bit later to give the game a second chance. That’s when he’d get lucky. The man would parlay a $20 to $60 investment into as much as $1,300 before cashing out and moving on to another machine, where he’d start the cycle anew. Over the course of two days, his winnings tallied just over $21,000. The only odd thing about his behavior during his streaks was the way he’d hover his finger above the Spin button for long stretches before finally jabbing it in haste; typical slots players don’t pause between spins like that.

On June 9, Lumiere Place shared its findings with the Missouri Gaming Commission, which in turn issued a statewide alert. Several casinos soon discovered that they had been cheated the same way, though often by different men than the one who’d bilked Lumiere Place. In each instance, the perpetrator held a cell phone close to an Aristocrat Mark VI model slot machine shortly before a run of good fortune.

By examining rental-car records, Missouri authorities identified the Lumiere Place scammer as Murat Bliev, a 37-year-old Russian national. Bliev had flown back to Moscow on June 6, but the St. Petersburg–based organization he worked for, which employs dozens of operatives to manipulate slot machines around the world, quickly sent him back to the United States to join another cheating crew. The decision to redeploy Bliev to the US would prove to be a rare misstep for a venture that’s quietly making millions by cracking some of the gaming industry’s most treasured algorithms.

From Russia With Cheats
Russia has been a hotbed of slots-related malfeasance since 2009, when the country outlawed virtually all gambling. (Vladimir Putin, who was prime minister at the time, reportedly believed the move would reduce the power of Georgian organized crime.) The ban forced thousands of casinos to sell their slot machines at steep discounts to whatever customers they could find. Some of those cut-rate slots wound up in the hands of counterfeiters eager to learn how to load new games onto old circuit boards. Others apparently went to Murat Bliev’s bosses in St. Petersburg, who were keen to probe the machines’ source code for vulnerabilities.

By early 2011, casinos throughout central and eastern Europe were logging incidents in which slots made by the Austrian company Novomatic paid out improbably large sums. Novomatic’s engineers could find no evidence that the machines in question had been tampered with, leading them to theorize that the cheaters had figured out how to predict the slots’ behavior. “Through targeted and prolonged observation of the individual game sequences as well as possibly recording individual games, it might be possible to allegedly identify a kind of ‘pattern’ in the game results,” the company admitted in a February 2011 notice to its customers.

Recognizing those patterns would require remarkable effort. Slot machine outcomes are controlled by programs called pseudorandom number generators that produce baffling results by design. Government regulators, such as the Missouri Gaming Commission, vet the integrity of each algorithm before casinos can deploy it.

But as the “pseudo” in the name suggests, the numbers aren’t truly random. Because human beings create them using coded instructions, PRNGs can’t help but be a bit deterministic. (A true random number generator must be rooted in a phenomenon that is not manmade, such as radioactive decay.) PRNGs take an initial number, known as a seed, and then mash it together with various hidden and shifting inputs—the time from a machine’s internal clock, for example—in order to produce a result that appears impossible to forecast. But if hackers can identify the various ingredients in that mathematical stew, they can potentially predict a PRNG’s output. That process of reverse engineering becomes much easier, of course, when a hacker has physical access to a slot machine’s innards.

Knowing the secret arithmetic that a slot machine uses to create pseudorandom results isn’t enough to help hackers, though. That’s because the inputs for a PRNG vary depending on the temporal state of each machine. The seeds are different at different times, for example, as is the data culled from the internal clocks. So even if they understand how a machine’s PRNG functions, hackers would also have to analyze the machine’s gameplay to discern its pattern. That requires both time and substantial computing power, and pounding away on one’s laptop in front of a Pelican Pete is a good way to attract the attention of casino security.

The Lumiere Place scam showed how Murat Bliev and his cohorts got around that challenge. After hearing what had happened in Missouri, a casino security expert named Darrin Hoke, who was then director of surveillance at L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, took it upon himself to investigate the scope of the hacking operation. By interviewing colleagues who had reported suspicious slot machine activity and by examining their surveillance photos, he was able to identify 25 alleged operatives who’d worked in casinos from California to Romania to Macau. Hoke also used hotel registration records to discover that two of Bliev’s accomplices from St. Louis had remained in the US and traveled west to the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. On July 14, 2014, agents from the California Department of Justice detained one of those operatives at Pechanga and confiscated four of his cell phones, as well as $6,000. (The man, a Russian national, was not indicted; his current whereabouts are unknown.)

The cell phones from Pechanga, combined with intelligence from investigations in Missouri and Europe, revealed key details. According to Willy Allison, a Las Vegas–based casino security consultant who has been tracking the Russian scam for years, the operatives use their phones to record about two dozen spins on a game they aim to cheat. They upload that footage to a technical staff in St. Petersburg, who analyze the video and calculate the machine’s pattern based on what they know about the model’s pseudorandom number generator. Finally, the St. Petersburg team transmits a list of timing markers to a custom app on the operative’s phone; those markers cause the handset to vibrate roughly 0.25 seconds before the operative should press the spin button.

“The normal reaction time for a human is about a quarter of a second, which is why they do that,” says Allison, who is also the founder of the annual World Game Protection Conference. The timed spins are not always successful, but they result in far more payouts than a machine normally awards: Individual scammers typically win more than $10,000 per day. (Allison notes that those operatives try to keep their winnings on each machine to less than $1,000, to avoid arousing suspicion.) A four-person team working multiple casinos can earn upwards of $250,000 in a single week.

Repeat Business
Since there are no slot machines to swindle in his native country, Murat Bliev didn’t linger long in Russia after his return from St. Louis. He made two more trips to the US in 2014, the second of which began on December 3. He went straight from Chicago O’Hare Airport to St. Charles, Missouri, where he met up with three other men who’d been trained to scam Aristocrat’s Mark VI model slot machines: Ivan Gudalov, Igor Larenov, and Yevgeniy Nazarov. The quartet planned to spend the next several days hitting various casinos in Missouri and western Illinois.

Bliev should never have come back. On December 10, not long after security personnel spotted Bliev inside the Hollywood Casino in St. Louis, the four scammers were arrested. Because Bliev and his cohorts had pulled their scam across state lines, federal authorities charged them with conspiracy to commit fraud. The indictments represented the first significant setbacks for the St. Petersburg organization; never before had any of its operatives faced prosecution.

Bliev, Gudalov, and Larenov, all of whom are Russian citizens, eventually accepted plea bargains and were each sentenced to two years in federal prison, to be followed by deportation. Nazarov, a Kazakh who was granted religious asylum in the US in 2013 and is a Florida resident, still awaits sentencing, which indicates that he is cooperating with the authorities: In a statement to WIRED, Aristocrat representatives noted that one of the four defendants has yet to be sentenced because he “continues to assist the FBI with their investigations.”

Whatever information Nazarov provides may be too outdated to be of much value. In the two years since the Missouri arrests, the St. Petersburg organization’s field operatives have become much cagier. Some of their new tricks were revealed last year, when Singaporean authorities caught and prosecuted a crew: One member, a Czech named Radoslav Skubnik, spilled details about the organization’s financial structure (90 percent of all revenue goes back to St. Petersburg) as well as operational tactics. “What they’ll do now is they’ll put the cell phone in their shirt’s chest pocket, behind a little piece of mesh,” says Allison. “So they don’t have to hold it in their hand while they record.” And Darrin Hoke, the security expert, says he has received reports that scammers may be streaming video back to Russia via Skype, so they no longer need to step away from a slot machine to upload their footage.

The Missouri and Singapore cases appear to be the only instances in which scammers have been prosecuted, though a few have also been caught and banned by individual casinos. At the same time, the St. Petersburg organization has sent its operatives farther and farther afield. In recent months, for example, at least three casinos in Peru have reported being cheated by Russian gamblers who played aging Novomatic Coolfire slot machines.

The economic realities of the gaming industry seem to guarantee that the St. Petersburg organization will continue to flourish. The machines have no easy technical fix. As Hoke notes, Aristocrat, Novomatic, and any other manufacturers whose PRNGs have been cracked “would have to pull all the machines out of service and put something else in, and they’re not going to do that.” (In Aristocrat’s statement to WIRED, the company stressed that it has been unable “to identify defects in the targeted games” and that its machines “are built to and approved against rigid regulatory technical standards.”) At the same time, most casinos can’t afford to invest in the newest slot machines, whose PRNGs use encryption to protect mathematical secrets; as long as older, compromised machines are still popular with customers, the smart financial move for casinos is to keep using them and accept the occasional loss to scammers.

So the onus will be on casino security personnel to keep an eye peeled for the scam’s small tells. A finger that lingers too long above a spin button may be a guard’s only clue that hackers in St. Petersburg are about to make another score.
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